After maintaining silence for most of the offseason, the New England Patriots are equipping third-year quarterback Drake Maye with top offensive playmakers, Romeo Doubs and AJ Brown. But adding a pair of wide receivers to the roster means a reduced role for Kayshon Boutte, who helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl in the 2025 season. This is why, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Boutte has been interested in requesting a trade from the Patriots ahead of the 2026 season.

During the latest episode of The Adam Schefter Podcast on Tuesday, the NFL insider said:

“One wide receiver I’m still suspecting that something might happen with is Kayshon Boutte. He has not been there for the offseason program. He has been interested in a trade. I would think that at some point this summer we may get action there. Another deal, Kayshon Boutte going somewhere else. We’ll see how that works out.”

A former sixth-round pick from the 2023 NFL draft out of LSU, Boutte is eligible to sign a contract extension this offseason, as he enters the final year of his rookie deal with an average annual value of roughly $4 million. And considering that the extension still hasn’t been finalized, a trade scenario remains a possibility.

On top of that, the 24-year-old receiver has also been absent from the Patriots’ OTAs. Per reports, Boutte is working out on his own. For the team, however, this makes sense, considering that if he were to suffer an injury while working out on his own, the team has the right to classify it as a non-football injury and wouldn’t need to pay him.

Across three seasons, Boutte has appeared in 34 games, making 23 starts, and has recorded 78 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns, with the 2024 season marking a career high when he tallied 43 catches for 589 yards and three touchdowns.

Against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the 2025 season, he grabbed 3 receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown, as the Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship round with a 28-16 win before eventually facing the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Against Seattle, Boutte recorded one reception for 21 yards, as the Patriots lost 29-13.

That said, heading into the 2026 offseason, Boutte surely expected a contract extension. But instead, the Patriots went ahead and added two experienced wide receivers to the room.

New England first signed Romeo Doubs on a four-year, $68 million contract, including $39 million in guaranteed money. Doubs joined the Patriots after recording career-high numbers with the Green Bay Packers in the 2025 season, where he had 55 receptions for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns. Across four seasons, Doubs recorded 202 receptions for 2424 yards and 21 touchdowns in 59 appearances.

Almost three months later, the Patriots have now traded for the former Philadelphia Eagles‘ wide receiver AJ Brown in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Brown brings familiarity to the Patriots, as he spent three seasons in Tennessee with Mike Vrabel. Across seven seasons in the NFL, Brown has recorded six 1,000+ yard seasons.

Now that Drake Maye is heading into the third season of his NFL career, AJ Brown is expected to lead the wide receiver room, with Doubs being the WR2. That means the final season of Boutt’s rookie deal doesn’t guarantee him much playing time.

And considering he’ll hit free agency after the 2026 season, a reduced role this season would mean lower numbers, which might eventually affect his market value. So, at this point, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Boutte’s potential interest in a trade will make sense.

Meanwhile, AJ Brown officially joined the Patriots for the team’s OTAs this week. And while the coaching staff offered him a role during practice, the veteran receiver declined it, choosing instead to earn that responsibility rather than have it handed to him.

AJ Brown wants to earn his role under Mike Vrabel in New England

AJ Brown has been one of the biggest admirers of the Patriots ever since he was a kid. Whether having a Patriots rug at home, getting motivated by Tom Brady’s career, or sharing his pictures as a toddler in the Patriots’ No. 12 jersey, the 28-year-old receiver hasn’t shied away from revealing his loyalty towards the franchise.

But when the Patriots traded for Brown, he knew that he didn’t need a favor to get what he wanted. In fact, he needs to earn it. That’s exactly what he did when the Patriots offered him to lead the stretching line at Tuesday’s OTAs.

“First of all, you have to learn your guys,” he said. “You just can’t come in and demand it. Like today, they wanted me to get out there in front of ’em. I’m like, ‘I gotta earn that first.’ And I want to earn it. I want to earn those guys’ respect. I just want to serve guys and help guys as much as I can on the field, off the field, whatever I can do.”

It had long been a dream for Brown to play for the Patriots, a dream that remained unfulfilled until this offseason. Even during the 2019 NFL Draft, New England selected N’Keal Harry with the 32nd pick in the first round, while Brown slipped into the second round, where the Tennessee Titans eventually drafted him.

Fast forward to now, and he has finally joined the Patriots, not as a rookie out of Ole Miss, but as a seven-year veteran and a Super Bowl champion.