Patriots Wideout Coming Off Breakout Season Addresses Trade Rumors
Kayshon Boutte already knows the math problem the New England Patriots face in regards to their very crowded wide receiver room.
It involves a good amount of subtraction.
“We’ve got a lot of guys. There’s 12 of us. At the end of the day, there will probably be six of us if we be honest,” Boutte told reporters Wednesday following New England’s OTA session, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “Every day is another opportunity to get better and be great. We all know we’re in competition, but it’s up to us at the end of the day.”
One way to trim down the wideout unit is for the Patriots to trade a receiver or two. Kendrick Bourne’s name has been brought up in trade rumors and so has Boutte’s.
A couple of NFL insiders, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, listed Boutte as a potential trade candidate in the lead up to last month’s draft. The draft came and went with Boutte remaining with the Patriots, but the team added more competition by drafting Washington State product Kyle Williams in the third round.
“I heard about it, but I tried not to really put too much time into that,” Boutte said. “You know, there’s just a lot of people just sitting behind phones and just typing. It’s got nothing to really do with me.”
Boutte, who the Patriots drafted in the sixth round out of LSU in 2023, recorded only two catches as a rookie but was a much bigger part of the offense last season.
The 23-year-old saw his production increase dramatically as he became a downfield target for quarterback Drake Maye. Boutte finished with 43 catches for 589 yards and three touchdowns as his receptions and receiving yards ranked second most on the team.
Boutte will have to stand out again to not only earn a spot on the roster, but get playing time, too. The Patriots used a solid draft pick on Williams while also signing Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency.
It’s unclear where Boutte is situated on the depth chart at the moment, but he’s making a good impression on head coach Mike Vrabel so far.
“I think that he’s gotten in better shape as we started to go on to the OTAs, and I think that’s really started to help him as we stack plays together,” Vrabel told reporters, per Daniels. “In the game, you don’t just take a play on and just come off and then go back and forth. Hopefully, you can string together four or five plays as we work down the football field. So, I think that he’s working to do that. I like his attitude. I enjoy his willingness to continue to improve and maybe do some things a little differently.”