There has been no escaping the conversation around New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte this offseason. Simply put, there are too many receivers, and with Boutte entering the final year of his rookie deal, he makes sense as a trade candidate.
Those rumors got so loud that Boutte stepped away from the team during voluntary workouts, awaiting news on his future. Around that time, he reportedly also requested a trade. However, for now, Boutte is still in New England, and he’s still performing at a very high level in practice.
As Boutte has been phenomenal in practice, there has been a rapidly growing conversation about what the Patriots should do with him. After all, he might be too good to let them trade him, even if he’s very aware he’s currently putting his play on film for those potential suitors.
“I mean, yeah. Every team pretty much watches,” Boutte said. “They watch film. I wouldn’t say practice film, but I mean they watch the game film. You see. Even preseason. Really, all 32 teams watching. Not just the team you play for… Everybody watching.”
New England Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte Faces Uncertain Future
GettyNew England Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte
Over the last couple of years, Kayshon Boutte has become increasingly important to the New England Patriots offense. That’s, in particular, since Drake Maye took over at quarterback and the pair began developing an excellent relationship. Despite that, it’s still an uncertain future for Boutte.
“It’s whatever’s best for me,” Boutte recently said. “Like I said, whether it’s here or somewhere else, I gotta do what’s best for me. I can’t really say it today, you kinda gotta see how things play out. So like I say, taking it day by day, I’m not a future teller, so I couldn’t tell you.”
Despite that, Boutte wants to maintain his positivity and not let the rumors drag him down. That means focusing on his work in practice, potentially making himself a player the Patriots can’t afford to move on from.
“I’m a pretty positive person. I come in every day ready to work. It’s another opportunity,” Boutte said. “You could be without a job. I get to wake up every day, 7 a.m. Come here, do what I do, make plays. That’s my life.”
While with the Patriots, Boutte has 78 receptions for 1,159 yards and 9 touchdowns. The vast majority of that production has come in 2024 and 2025 with Maye. Now, he enters the final year of his contract, which was for 4 years and $4,027,272 million. He’ll likely get a major payday on his next deal.
The Patriots May Carry Seven Wide Receivers
GettyNew England Patriots EVP Eliot Wolf
It’s not common in the NFL today, with roster limits, but an option the Patriots do have is to carry seven wide receivers. That would, ultimately, keep Kayshon Boutte with the team for the 2026 season.
A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs are the clear top two receivers, both of whom are newcomers to the team. After that, the Patriots have a larger mix of players competing for playing time.
That group includes Boutte. On top of that, Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins, Efton Chism, and Kyle Williams are all battling for playing time. None of them is a clear-cut candidate at this point, either.
So, either a trade or a tough cut decision is going to be made to get under seven wide receivers. Certainly, if that’s the case, a trade is the preference so that the Patriots get something in return. That is, assuming they aren’t content to carry seven receivers.
While depth is not a concern at wide receiver in this scenario, it would take a roster spot from another position. So, depth would be hit somewhere, and the Patriots do need to decide if that’s worth it or not.
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