The New England Patriots have a much deeper wide receiver room than they have had in past seasons after pulling off their long-awaited trade for A.J. Brown, but bringing him into the fold alongside offseason acquisition Romeo Doubs has to get the rest of their young players in that room wondering about where there targets and snaps are going to come from.
Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams, and Pop Douglas are just a few of the developing wide receivers who could see their targets cut down after Brown touched down in Foxborough. Boutte is apparently wise enough to see the writing on the wall, and the former sixth-round pick is reportedly angling for a way out of New England despite the success he had last season.
According to Adam Schefter via his most recent podcast, Boutte, who was often thrown in hypothetical Brown trade packages to reduce the NFL Draft capital sent to Philadelphia, is still very much in trade talks, saying the Patriots may "get action there" as the summer starts to churn on.
Adam Schefter says Patriots could trade Kayshon Boutte
Boutte is coming off a year in which he caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns, which is a sharp improvement from someone who was a seldom-used sixth-rounder just a few years ago. Boutte was one of the better vertical separators in the New England offense last season, but Brown has all but usurped his role.
Douglas provides a nice stylistic contrast to Brown and Doubs, Williams is still developing, and veteran Mack Hollins might be worth keeping around. Boutte is at the perfect intersection of valuable enough for teams to want, yet not too valuable where the Patriots need to hold onto him in the future.
Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins stands out as wide receiver-needy teams that didn't spend any of their top picks in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft on pass catchers. Being able to recoup a mid-round pick after sending one to the Eagles in the initial Brown deal could be a way for the Patriots to load up on some ammunition for the future.
Boutte is by no means a game-breaker, but last season with Drake Maye showed that he can be a worthwhile playmaker in the right scheme with a competent quarterback. With Brown in town and the Maye extension coming, New England may not have room to keep Boutte in the fold.
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