While the Philadelphia Eagles seem destined to trade NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots at this point, one mysterious part of the deal no one can put their finger on is what the compensation might be.
Everyone assumes the Eagles will get back a draft pick — maybe multiple draft picks — but the Patriots could very well sweeten the deal with a starter to replace Brown in the lineup.
With Brown presumably gone, veteran DeVonta Smith automatically slots into the WR1 spot, with 2026 1st round pick (No. 20 overall) Makai Lemon right behind him.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport put out a predicted starting lineup for the Eagles, and included Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte as the 3rd starting wide receiver behind Smith and Lemon.
“No, A.J. Brown isn’t listed here — Brown being traded became that much more likely after the Eagles traded up to draft Makai Lemon, and it has been rumored more than once it will be to New England for a package that includes Kayshon Boutte,” Davenport wrote. “Outside that, the only real movement on offense was the drafting of long-term replacements for tight end Dallas Goedert and tackle Lane Johnson in Eli Stowers (Round 2) and Markel Bell (Round 3).”
It’s a role Boutte seems more than capable of filling after racking up over 500 receiving yards each of the last 2 seasons, including 33 receptions for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns in 14 games in 2025.
In New England’s run to Super Bowl LX, Boutte had 9 receptions for 168 yards and 1 touchdown in 4 games.
Gambling Issues May Have Impacted Draft Stock
Boutte, 6-foot and 197 pounds, set the SEC single-game record for receiving yards with 14 receptions for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns as a freshman at LSU in 2020.
In 3 seasons at LSU, Boutte had 131 receptions for 1,781 yards and 16 touchdowns, but was wildly inconsistent — something that may have been attributed to an admitted gambling addiction while he was in college.
Drafted by the Patriots in the 6th round (No. 187 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft, a warrant was issued for Boutte’s arrest in January 2024 that alleged he placed almost 9,000 bets while underage, including at least 6 times on LSU games he played in.
Boutte Addressed Gambling Addiction in Article
All of the charges against Boutte were dropped in July 2024, and he addressed the issues in an article titled “How The Hell Did I Get Here?” on The Players’ Tribune in 2026.
“I fell in love with gambling,” Boutte wrote. ” … I was 20. I was at LSU. Full ride. Whole future ahead of me. And I didn’t care at all … I’d wake up early in the morning, and the first thing I’d do was bet. I’d stay up late and bet. All day. All night. I had insomnia, so if I woke up in the middle of the night, phone next to the bed, I’d bet … That’s how I damn near ruined my life.”
If a deal does go through, you can bet that Boutte would be an incredible value to the Eagles in 2026, when he’ll be in the final season of his 4-year, $4.02 million rookie contract.
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