Following the trade for A.J. Brown and the big-money free agent signing of Romeo Doubs, it appeared Kayshon Boutte found himself on the outside looking in.
After being the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, the 24-year-old skipped the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program for the first time in his career before reporting for mandatory minicamp.
Asked about his future during mandatory minicamp, Boutte said he wants to remain in New England.
“I wouldn’t mind being here. I do want to be here, obviously,” Boutte said. “I mean, at the end of the day, I do want to be here. So whether that’s X, Z, F, like just whatever I got to do, that’s best for me. Whether it’s learning the playbook more, moving around — There’s only one football. There are five of us, you know? But that’s football.”
It would be understandable if Boutte wanted a trade. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to earn a base salary of $3.674 million this season. Suddenly finding himself in a crowded wide receiver room, Boutte could struggle to maximize his value before free agency as Brown and Doubs push him down the depth chart.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Boutte has continued to express his desire to remain a Patriot.
“I want to be in New England for the rest of my career,” Boutte told WBZ’s Dan Roche back in June. “I’ve enjoyed it out here. Been here three years. Every day I’m here, I call this home. This is my new home. Grew up in Louisiana, stayed there 20 years, but now Boston is my life.”
Through the early days of training camp, Boutte has backed up those words. He has made two of the biggest plays of camp, looking every bit like a receiver determined to prove he still belongs in New England.
On Day 1, Boutte caught quarterback Drake Maye’s first deep completion of training camp, hauling in a diving catch on a pass of more than 40 yards after getting behind the defense. On Day 2, he followed it up with a back-shoulder grab over Carlton Davis in tight coverage. His helmet popped off on both catches.
“It’s nothing new. I mean, you guys see it. I mean, all year last year and the year before, and he just keeps doing things right. And I’m proud of him for getting in there, jumping in there,” Maye said after day one. “He understands if he’s got something down the sideline and a ball down the field, he’s got a chance it’s coming his way. So, great catch.”
Last season, Boutte caught 33 passes for 551 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in 14 games, production that was slightly limited by a hamstring injury. Despite missing time, he still played 55.48% of New England’s offensive snaps, the second-most among the team’s receivers behind only Mack Hollins (60.05%). He also led the Patriots with 168 receiving yards in the postseason.
When asked about Boutte’s situation, Vrabel pointed to the receiver’s contributions from a season ago while praising the way he has handled the trade rumors and outside noise.
“I have a lot of respect for Kayshon, and we went through this last offseason. He had a great offseason, and he had a good training camp, and that played out during the season. He was a large part of our success, and his communication through this offseason with Todd [Downing] and myself, he is a pro,” Vrabel said. “He understands what his job is, and he has gotten off to a good start. So, I have a lot of respect for him for the way that he has handled all these different situations, the conversations outside of here and the noise that does not affect his performance on the field.”
The Patriots could still very well move on from Boutte, who they selected in the sixth round (187th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, if they want to do right by him and give him a chance to maximize his value ahead of what could be the most important year of his career.
However, there are plenty of reasons to keep him around, and reasons to believe Boutte can still be a contributor in this revamped wide receiver room. His rapport with Maye is evident, he has proven he can be a productive receiver at this level, and extra depth is never a bad thing — especially with a top-heavy wide receiver group.
Although still very early in training camp, the Patriots have already found ways to get Boutte and A.J. Brown on the field together, which could be an encouraging sign for his future in New England.
For now, the Patriots have no reason to rush into a decision. Boutte is giving them every reason to keep him around.
