New England Patriots
Boutte’s future in New England could be in doubt following the potential arrival of A.J. Brown next month.
Kayshon Boutte was a reliable deep-ball threat for Drake Maye this past season. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
There have been plenty of eyes on the Patriots’ wide receiver corps this offseason — especially when it comes to A.J. Brown’s potential arrival early next month.
But could the former All-Pro receiver’s addition to New England’s roster potentially mean the end of Kayshon Boutte’s tenure in Foxborough?
Boutte — who had 33 catches for 551 yards and six touchdowns over 14 games last season with New England — has not been a participant in New England’s voluntary offseason workouts in Foxborough, with ESPN’s Mike Reiss reporting on Sunday that the 24-year-old wideout is working out on his own away from the team facility.
Despite not attending the start of voluntary offseason workouts, #Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte is still getting work in while out in Miami.
Year 4 📈
(🎥 prettyboycuh IG) pic.twitter.com/cNBag8fERC
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) April 22, 2026
During an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Monday morning, Reiss was asked about Boutte’s absence and whether or not Brown’s expected addition has played a part in Boutte’s murky status moving forward.
“You’re insinuating something — the insinuation is that Boutte would be moved,” Sports Hub radio host Fred Toucher asked Reiss. “Because of AJ Brown, there would be a redundancy, and Boutte’s not coming because he knows he’s being moved.”
“I think that would be something that wouldn’t surprise me,” Reiss said. “I don’t know if that’s what’s going to happen. I don’t know if it should happen. He played really well for them last year.”
If the A.J. Brown trade involving the Patriots and Eagles does go down, the writing appears to be on the wall that New England needs to move another wideout or two this summer — especially after the Patriots already signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year contract in March.
But what could New England get if they deal away a dependable deep ball threat like Boutte?
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer gave his insight on what New England might be seeking as part of a trade involving the former LSU standout
“Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte, I think, could be had for a fifth- or sixth-round draft pick right now, if anyone has an interest in him,” Breer wrote on Monday.
That would seemingly be low value for a talented receiver in Boutte who developed a strong rapport with Drake Maye last season — and could conceivably complement several NFL wideout corps as a dependable target on outside throws as the X-receiver.
But with New England already having plenty of mouths to feed next season (especially if Brown comes on board next month), the Patriots might opt to move on from Boutte now — especially with the 2023 sixth-round pick also entering the final year of his contract and due for solid raise next summer.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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