Seemingly from the moment the New England Patriots were rumored to be in on A.J. Brown, it was also rumored that they’d be trading Kayshon Boutte. After all, it’s a crowded wide receiver room, and Boutte is entering the final season of his rookie contract.
Those rumors became loud enough that they were hard to ignore, and Boutte sat out of voluntary workouts awaiting his fate. A trade never came, though, and Boutte and the Patriots are seemingly in a holding pattern now with Training Camp underway.
Still, the two sides are battling ongoing rumors. Those range from Boutte being traded before the season to not being traded at all, and for what the Patriots could get for him.
New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel Addressed the Kayshon Boutte Trade Rumors
GettyNew England Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte
There’s no doubt that New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel doesn’t want trade rumors hanging over his team in Training Camp. There’s no getting away from them, though. So, at his press conference on Monday, Vrabel made it clear the respect that he has for how Kayshon Boutte has handled things.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Kayshon,” Vrabel said. “We went through this last offseason. He had a great offseason, he had a good training camp, and that played out during the season. He was a large part of our success. His communication through this offseason with Todd [Downing] and myself, he’s a pro. He understands what his job is, and he’s gotten off to a good start.”
There is no doubt that if Boutte remains in New England, he’s going to offer the Patriots plenty of value on the field. It’s about balancing if that value for potentially one season, when the wide receiver room has plenty of options, is worth letting him walk for nothing. Then, if the Patriots do want something for him, they will need to find the right trade.
Boutte has undoubtedly heard all of that. However, it doesn’t show on the field.
“So, I’ve got a lot of respect for him for the way that’s he’s handled these different situations, and the conversations outside of here, and the noise that doesn’t effect his performance on the field,” Vrabel said.
Kayshon Boutte is Raising Eyebrows at Patriots Training Camp
GettyNew England Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte
With Patriots Training Camp underway, Kayshon Boutte has immediately made several eyebrow-raising plays. That included what was described as the play of the day, connecting with quarterback Drake Maye on a deep ball that he had to dive for and lost his helmet on.
After practice, Maye addressed the play that Boutte made. Unsurprisingly, he had nothing but praise for the wide receiver.
“I mean, it’s nothing new,” Maye said. “I mean, you guys seen it all year last year, and the year before. He just keeps doing things right. I’m proud of him for getting in there, jumping in there. He understands if he’s got something down the sideline, and a ball down the field, that he’s got a chance it’s coming his way. Great catch, and I think that was better to start off camp with a little bit of a deep one.”
Part of what makes Boutte so valuable to the Patriots is his connection with Maye. Losing that to a trade would be hard for many fans to swallow, even with a loaded wide receiver room.
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