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56 minutes ago
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Kayshon Boutte, through no fault of his own, may be about to lose his role with the New England Patriots.
If an A.J. Brown trade goes through to bring the star wide receiver aboard from the Philadelphia Eagles, Boutte will have to take a backseat.
The Pats already signed Romeo Doubs this offseason. Adding Brown would mean going from a top-two WR list of Stefon Diggs and Boutte and making it Brown and Doubs instead.
Yes, Boutte would be a high-quality WR3, and so his time in New England wouldn't be doomed.
But there's also a case to be made that a Brown trade could also set up an ensuing Boutte trade.
The problem is that Boutte is in the last year of his rookie contract. Yes, he's cheap this season, but then he'll be an unrestricted free agent. And if the Pats have a lot of money tied up in Brown and Doubs, they might not be able to afford Boutte, too.
And if Boutte is going to leave after the season, the Patriots would be wise to consider dealing him for an asset in return before he can depart for nothing.
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Reports earlier in the offseason did point to Boutte as a trade candidate, but it's been pretty quiet on that front since the NFL Draft. New England didn't draft any WRs, so maybe that helps Boutte (although they also have the ascending Kyle Williams and Efton Chism, who were both rookies last year).
Certainly, Drake Maye wouldn't complain about keeping Boutte. Every pass Boutte caught in the 2025 regular season went for either a first down or touchdown.
But sometimes, a team has to strike the right balance across the roster. If Brown arrives, Boutte could be the odd man out, and there surely would be other teams out there willing to take him off New England's hands.
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