Until Monday, everyone was under the impression that Kayshon Boutte was the odd man out. With rumors circulating since the draft “if AJ Brown comes… Boutte is gone” was the consensus amongst fans and media.

Monday started the mandatory minicamp for the Patriots. Having not shown up at OTAs, it was becoming increasingly likely that the trade would happen, only for Boutte to show up and seem heavily involved and in the mix on offense. Stemming the question is whether he is even being moved or if there is a plan in place for Kayshon to get featured in the mix of our offense.

I'm here to say… maybe both could be true. The Patriots may still be shopping Boutte behind the scenes, and his being at camp willing to partake in drills is just a matter of him being a vet, being a professional, and/or proving himself to the staff that he's gonna make an effort to find his role on the team. Boutte has stated “I want to be here” “I love this team, and want to be a part of it”.

Is his market not what we expected?
This is 2 drafts in a row, where Boutte has been in the trade rumors. After last season and some of the key catches he made, his consistency, and work ethic. You'd think more teams may see a player on the verge of breaking out. So are the Patriots asking for too much? Possibly. Are teams just being patient finishing their mini camps to see if they feel comfortable with their roster, and calling the Pats to get an additional weapon in their receiver room? Possibly. Are the Patriots waiting to capitalize on a team losing a star receiver to injury if it occurs? Possibly. What teams even need help at receiver? I have a list below and why they may give us the…. Boutte Call.

Who would benefit from trading for Kayshon Boutte?
A few teams come to mind:

Saints - With Chris Olave, their first round pick Jordyn Tyson, and even drafting Bryce Lance later in the draft. Louisiana is a place very familiar to Boutte being from there and playing at LSU. Their receiver core has plenty of young talent, and they even took Ja’Lynn Polk off our hands last year. Boutte, in the final year of his deal could rather come home and stay home earning a long-term deal for the Saints. Regardless he'd be a major help to Tyler Schough and Kellen Moore’s offense.

Raiders - One thing is for sure the Raiders are doing the best they can to build a good roster. By taking Fernando Mendoza number one overall, the Raiders have revamped and invested heavily in their roster, to set up Mendoza and the team for the future. There's only one problem… they really really really need to get a receiver. A very young, unproven core of guys won't guarantee much help for the young QB. I think Boutte would be the best receiver on their offense, in the last year of his deal looking to prove himself and get the most opportunities. If he wants to show he can handle the workload of a legit WR 1 or 2. The Raiders with Jalen Nalor, Tre Tucker, Jack Bech, and Dont’e Thornton… the Raiders would be wise to give the Patriots a call for Boutte’s services.

Colts - After locking in Alec Pierce to an insane contract before he could even test the market. The Colts quickly moved Michael Pittman Jr to the Steelers. It's now come out that there's uncertainty about Alec Pierce’s health and when he will be available to get back into practice. If this is the case, and with the loss of Pittman, I could see the Colts looking to take Boutte who'd be on a cheaper contract, and give Boutte the opportunity to help their offense.

Chiefs - The one team I'd hate for him to go. The Chiefs to me feel like a crowded room of guys wanting opportunities. Rashes Rice is beginning to worry Chiefs fans with his legal situation, as well as staying out of the news each season. I personally don't see any benefit for Boutte going to the Chiefs outside of working with Patrick Mahomes. The receivers he'd be competing with targets are obviously Kelce and Rice, but he's competing with Tyquan Thornton, Xavier Worthy, as well as rookies they're hoping to get involved Cyrus Allen, and Jeff Caldwell. I don't believe it's the best situation for him but the Chiefs tend to load their roster as much as possible.

Falcons - My dark horse is the Falcons. Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and… and… really that's about it to me. I'm not in love with their receiver core. Zacchaeus is really liked by the team, they drafted Zachariah Branch as well. I'd envision regardless of whether it's Penix or Tua at QB having Boutte in that mix could really help the passing game, help Boutte showcase his talents as the 3rd option, and get additional looks if London is doubled, or Pitts is back to disappearing on the field. I could see their new coach Kevin Stefanski being able to make this combination work for whoever is passing the ball.

What's his market value?
Being the Patriots drafted Boutte in the 6th round in 2023 and his contributions on our offense with Drake Maye the last 2 years I'd say we got plenty of value out of a 6th rounder. I'd imagine the Patriots would be looking for a 4th-round pick in 2027. I believe that, after how much Boutte has contributed to the team, if numerous teams are calling for him, we are going to give him the Joe Milton treatment… Even if there is a better offer on the table, we are going to let Boutte decide which team he'd want to play for and accept that offer. The Patriots want to continue establishing a culture of taking care of their players, they would look to do the same here.

Could he just stay a Patriot?
Absolutely. If he continues to show progression, flexibility, and maintains his help-the-team-no-matter-what attitude, Boutte certainly could carve a role on this offense, either as the WR 3, or stay matchup dependent as we've seen WRs over the years in McDaniels offenses.

Final thoughts:
No matter what, I think this fanbase genuinely likes, loves, and/or appreciates Boutte, and what he's shown us the last 2 years. We know it's just business at the end of the day, the team will always do what's best for the team. I've heard the aspects of “Well Wolf keeps saying we're a draft and develop team, why are we moving him”… we developed him, we can get compensation for what he's developed into. In a perfect world, we'd be able to keep all our receivers till they retire… unfortunately, that's not reality. I view it as this, if we want to keep Boutte, let's lock him
In on a deal. If he's willing to take less money and stay here, let's get this done ASAP. Otherwise, he's hitting free agency next year, he could sign with another team and you get nothing in return, maybe a compensatory pick, but that's it. The Patriots will rather decide he can help the team this year and help his market in free agency, or we help other receivers progress on this team and move Boutte while we can.
We will find out soon enough. Regardless I want the best for Boutte and have enjoyed watching his development the last 2 seasons. As long as he doesn't become a Jet I’ll always root for him.

My name is Tyler Meding @paperwavesde I hope you enjoyed my write-up. You can see my other work on my site Patriotsdraftroom.com where I discuss all things related to the Patriots Draft as well as my scouting and evaluation on prospects. I've begun working on a UDFA blog dropping very soon follow me on X for when that and any other blogs are announced.

Thank you for your time, have a great day!