After edging out the Atlanta Falcons 24-23 on Sunday, the New England Patriots didn’t waste much time looking for help at wide receiver. The reason was pretty straightforward: Kayshon Boutte pulled up with a hamstring injury and couldn’t finish the game. Fast forward to now, and the Patriots did make a move… just not the kind fans were expecting.

On Tuesday, November 4, just hours before the trade deadline, New England signed Brenden Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, to their practice squad, a move first reported by insider Jordan Schultz. And to add a fun side to the signing, NFL reporter Josina Anderson later revealed that Jerry himself texted her, confirming that the Patriots were bringing his son aboard.

“Yes, all about how quickly he learns that playbook,” the San Francisco 49ers legend said, per Anderson.

Brenden, a 23-year-old wide receiver out of USC and a former seventh-round pick, was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2024 NFL Draft. The son of the 49ers legend suited up for just three games in L.A. before things fizzled out. His stint didn’t last long, as the Chargers released him on August 26, 2025, as part of their final roster cuts.

Before making it to the NFL, Brenden spent a couple of seasons each at Colorado and USC, where he totaled 66 receptions for 1,030 yards, an impressive 15.6 yards per catch, along with nine touchdowns and 22 kickoff returns for 555 yards.

After being waived by the Chargers, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel hosted Jerry Rice’s son alongside wideout Rakim Jarrett, tight end Drake Dabney, and offensive tackle Aiden Williams back in September. Now, in his new role, Brenden is expected to fill in as valuable practice-squad depth for New England.

Mike Vrabel shared an update on his injured wideout

The Patriots surely won the Week 9 game against the Falcons, but they’re far from perfect. Drake Maye completed 19-of-29 passes for 259 yards and a couple of touchdowns but committed two turnovers and was sacked six times. To make it worse, the Patriots also lost their wide receiver, Kayshon Boutte, to a hamstring injury.

Now, Vrabel just shared an injury update on his wide receiver. Per the Patriots’ head coach, Boutte is “day-to-day” and is not expected to practice early this week. And that means only one thing: New England’s rookie wideout, Kyle Williams, will get more reps at practice.

Whether he’ll see more action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 is still up in the air. So far, the rookie’s been limited to just two catches for 20 yards over nine games. But Vrabel made it clear that Williams’ role isn’t set in stone; he’s going to get more chances as the season rolls on.

“He had to play a lot of different positions, and there’s a lot of moving parts,” the HC said. “It’s just a lot of different personnel groups and alignments. And so, I think he settled down, and I think that he’ll get an opportunity here moving forward. … Kyle should be ready to go here for us.”

Heading into Week 10, the Patriots still have their star wideout Stefon Diggs anchoring the passing game. But with Boutte sidelined by injury, there’s a good chance New England looks to make another move at the position.