The Patriots have already been busy reshaping the roster this offseason, but a floated three-team trade involving Kayshon Boutte is the kind of move they should walk away from.
New England has made several swaps already, including the A.J. Brown deal, and the front office’s other moves suggest a more measured approach. The team sent Garrett Bradbury to the Bears before the draft with Jared Wilson set to move to center, then dealt Marte Mapu to the Texans in April for a late-round pick exchange instead of cutting him outright.
That matters here because the Patriots are not in the business of giving away premium draft capital. They don’t have a first-round pick in 2028, and their 2026 second-rounder, Gabe Jacas, still hasn’t signed his contract. New England can more realistically deal from its stash of four sixth-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, not from the top of the board.
The wide receiver room is also already starting to take shape for 2026. With A.J.
Brown and Romeo Doubs added to the mix, the group looks very different than it did in 2025. Mack Hollins is set to return, Kyle Williams is viewed as a roster lock, and Efton Chism III could push his way onto the team if he carries over the late-season snap increase he showed down the stretch.
That leaves Boutte and Pop Douglas as the most vulnerable names. Boutte is facing a crowded competition for outside snaps against Brown, Doubs, and Hollins, and that’s not a battle he’s likely to win. Douglas, meanwhile, could get squeezed out if the Patriots believe Chism is ready or think Williams can handle work inside.
Still, Boutte is the more realistic trade chip, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently floated a three-team deal that would send him to the Cardinals, a third-round pick to the Browns, and Michael Wilson to New England. Cleveland would also get Jacoby Brissett, while Arizona would land Shedeur Sanders and a fourth-round pick.
On paper, that might look like a way for the Patriots to turn a surplus into another receiver. In practice, it doesn’t really solve the problem.
Wilson just posted the best season of his career, finishing with 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. He topped 50 receiving yards in seven of his last eight games, including a 185-yard explosion.
But that production came after a rough start: in his first nine games, he reached 50 yards only once.
The bigger issue for New England is fit. Wilson isn’t really a slot answer.
He lined up there on 30.2% of his snaps last season, which is more than Doubs at 13.2% and Brown at 12%, but nowhere near Stefon Diggs’ 51.9% rate last season. So the Patriots would be trading Boutte for a receiver with a similar usage problem, only this time with a much steeper price tag.
They’d also have to part with a top-100 pick for what looks like a one-year rental. Unless Josh McDaniels believes Wilson can become a full-time slot receiver, there isn’t much reason to pull the trigger. That seems unlikely.
Wilson’s split from last season tells the story. In his first nine games, he averaged 2.4 catches for 28.9 yards per game with one touchdown, and 42.6% of his snaps came in the slot.
Over his final stretch, he jumped to 7.0 catches for 96.9 yards per game with six touchdowns, while only 19% of his snaps came inside. He’s better on the outside, and that’s not where the Patriots need help right now.
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Patriots May Already Have A Veteran Fallback For This Receiver Squeeze
The Patriots have already spent heavily to reshape their receiver room, headlined by the trade for A.J. Brown and the addition of Romeo Doubs, and that kind of influx tends to push everyone else down the depth chart fast. It also leaves New England with a crowded mix of veterans and younger players, a setup that can work early in the season but often leads to tough decisions once the roster starts to sort itself out.
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Patriots Have One Obvious Reunion To Address A Lingering Problem
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One name that fits the bill comes with built-in familiarity and a possible opening on the other side. Arizona is in a rebuilding phase and has reason to prioritize younger linebackers, while Mack Wilson is under contract for this season and could be available if the Cardinals decide to keep turning over that room. For the Patriots, it is the kind of reunion that would at least address a lingering issue, even if the exact cost and timing remain part of the calculus. [Read more 🡒]