Potential Trade Destinations For Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte

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At one point, Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte looked like the next big superstar receiver to come out of LSU. As a true freshman, he had 45 catches for 735 yards and five touchdowns for the Tigers, following that up with nine touchdowns in just six games as a sophomore. Entering his junior season in 2022, Boutte was expected to end up declaring early for the NFL as a future first-round pick. He did declare early, but that last year at LSU wasn’t what anyone expected. It’s still not clear what exactly happened, but Boutte’s production and role in the offense declined drastically. He fell all the way to the sixth round in 2023 where the Patriots finally took a chance on him. He appeared in just five games and caught two passes as a rookie, then in January 2024 a warrant was put out for his arrest for underage gambling while he was still at LSU. It looked like Boutte was about to flame out and be the latest hyped freshman to fail to sustain his success. But he deserves a ton of credit for the way he has turned around his life and his career since the beginning of 2024. Boutte didn’t just hang on to a roster spot, he earned an expanded role in 2024 and was a productive part of the offense. He finished with 43 grabs, 589 yards and tied for the team lead with three touchdowns. In 2025, Boutte took another step forward and had 33 catches, 551 yards and six scores. Those aren’t superstar numbers but Boutte has turned into a legitimately useful player, and that’s a huge win considering how bleak it looked two years ago. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, he has a chance to take another step forward and earn real, life-changing money on that second contract. The only hangup is that it probably won’t be with the Patriots, who are seeking to make the leap from “useful” to “dynamic” at receiver this offseason. They signed veteran Romeo Doubs and are believed to be planning a trade for Eagles WR A.J. Brown in June, which would leave little room for Boutte in a receiving corps that was already crowded. Boutte’s availability on the trade block has been an open secret all offseason, with the Patriots willing to do the deal for a mid-to-late Day 3 pick. No takers have emerged yet. However, odds are there will be a team willing to bite at something close to that price point as the NFL shifts into training camp and the preseason. Injuries always strike and the start of real deal football practice in pads has a way of showing some teams that their initial offseason plan won’t be sufficient in the fall. Once that happens, Boutte’s market should start to develop. It should also be noted that even though Boutte is in a contract year, he has a chance to factor into the compensatory pick formula for his new team if he has a solid season. That would help lessen the acquisition cost, as a team that trades for Boutte could potentially get a pick back even if he ends up being a one-year rental. Here are a few teams to watch out for that could swing a trade. Atlanta Falcons The Falcons will be working through some big changes on offense this year with new HC Kevin Stefanski arriving and installing a different system than the last few years. Atlanta also remade virtually the entire receiving corps around their No. 1, Drake London , jettisoning Darnell Mooney and adding Jahan Dotson , Olamide Zaccheaus and third-rounder Zachariah Branch . London is great, but that’s not the most imposing group around him unless Branch is electric right from the start. The dept…