A team that’s been thin on high-end wide receiver talent for years may have a surplus at the position very soon.
According to multiple reports, the New England Patriots are expected to acquire Eagles wideout A.J. Brown on or shortly after June 1, when Philadelphia’s dead cap hit for trading him would drop from $40 million to $20 million.
If Brown comes to New England, he’d join a receiver room that already includes free-agent signing Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. So, who might be the odd man out?
While Doubs, Hollins, Douglas, Williams and Chism have been working out together in the early stages of the Patriots’ voluntary offseason program, Boutte has been noticeably absent from the facility. And that may not be a coincidence.
On a recent episode of Arbella Early Edition, Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran shared some perspective on what Brown’s addition could mean for Boutte — and how the 24-year-old wideout may feel about it.
“I love Kayshon Boutte. I think he’s been an underrated player. He’s unbelievably efficient. But right now, he’s becoming redundant,” Curran said.
“He has a very high opinion of his ability. I think he should, but he does have a high opinion of his ability. There are times that I’ve talked to him and he’s like, ‘I wouldn’t mind the ball more.’ But he’s dummied up for three years and bitten his tongue.
“And now in this offseason, they’ve brought in Romeo Doubs as an X. Kyle Williams is an X. A.J. Brown is an X. (Boutte has) done everything he possibly could as a sixth-round pick for a few years. His numbers are down because he doesn’t get the ball enough. So, he’s not going to have a huge bounty as an X receiver when he does get to become a free agent.
“So, I wouldn’t blame him if he’s saying, ‘You know what? It was fun and everything, but it’d be better for my career if I were to play someplace else.'”
Boutte has established himself as one of Drake Maye’s favorite targets, amassing 1,140 receiving yards over the past two seasons (second-most on the team behind tight end Hunter Henry) and catching 71.7 percent of his targets in 2025. But if Brown and Doubs are both ahead of him on the depth chart, he may not be amenable to having a decreased role, especially as he enters a contract year with free agency looming in 2027.
Curran believes Boutte’s absence from the voluntary offseason program could be his way of communicating those feelings.
“Whether he’s trying to force a trade or just register, ‘I’m not that into it,’ or whether he’s just saying, ‘I like working out on my own,’ I don’t know,” Curran said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s saying, ‘Anything we can do about moving me?'”
Boutte is one of New England’s most reliable pass-catchers, so the ideal situation is him staying put to complement a bolstered receiver corps. But it would also be understandable if Boutte sought a larger role elsewhere, in which case the Patriots could explore trading him at some point this summer before he hits free agency next March.
