Kayshon Boutte has spent the offseason in the middle of Patriots wide receiver chatter, but the noise hasn’t shown up on the practice field.
With trade rumors following him all spring, the fourth-year receiver is still in Foxborough after the first four days of training camp, and he’s been one of the most noticeable players on the field. In each of the three competitive sessions so far, Boutte has delivered the biggest play of the day, capped by a 40-yard back-shoulder touchdown over All-Pro safety Kevin Byard on Tuesday.
“That dude is unbelievable,” fellow wideout Kyle Williams said after practice. “I’m super proud of him. Obviously, he’s picking up where he left off, and this is only the beginning for him.”
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said he sees the same thing.
“It’s nothing new. I mean, you guys see it.
All year last year and the year before, he just keeps doing things right,” the Patriots’ starting quarterback said on Saturday. “I’m proud of him for getting in there, jumping in there.
And 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.”
Boutte’s rise has been steady since the Patriots made him a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He built chemistry with Maye as a sophomore, kept earning the quarterback’s trust in their second season together, and finished 2025 with 42 catches in 18 games for 719 yards and seven touchdowns.
He wasn’t a superstar, but he mattered. As New England’s starting X-receiver, Boutte gave the offense a vertical threat nobody else on the roster could really match.
That, in part, is why the Patriots went out and added Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown this offseason. Once those moves were made, and with DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Efton Chism and Kyle Williams also in the mix, Boutte looked like the most obvious candidate to be squeezed out.
Instead, he kept winning over the staff with how he handled everything.
“I have a lot of respect for Kayshon,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “We went through this last offseason: he had a great offseason, he had a good training camp, and that played out during the season.
He was a large part of our success. His communication through this offseason with Todd [Downing] and myself, he is a pro.
He understands what his job is, and he has gotten off to a good start. 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.”
New England was willing to listen if the right trade offer came along, especially around the draft, but nothing materialized. For now, Boutte remains on the roster, and based on what the Patriots have seen so far in camp, that’s been a pretty good outcome.
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