The New England Patriots are set to add a new crop of talent during this weekend’s NFL Draft, but the real story has been about what could happen once the festivities have concluded. Rumors about a potential A.J. Brown trade after June 1 have overshadowed who the Patriots could add in the draft but a rookie isn’t the only player who could become an afterthought until a deal is made.
Kayshon Boutte is currently looking for a new contract from the New England Patriots and it was revealed he will not be attending the team’s voluntary workouts next week. While head coach Mike Vrabel did not confirm the contract was the reason he will be missing from the workouts, MassLive’s Mark Daniels theorized it could be a combination of his contract issues as well as Brown’s potential arrival later this summer.
“The Patriots will have to decide if they’re willing to pay Boutte if they also take on the additional contract of Brown,” Daniels wrote. “If they don’t want to pay the price, then a potential trade could make sense. However, there’s also an argument that the Patriots should keep the best receivers on the team regardless of contract status. Boutte would still be a top-three receiver in New England even if the team traded for Brown.”
Patriots’ A.J. Brown Rumors Put Kayshon Boutte in a Tough Spot
Boutte has valid reasoning to have an interest in Brown’s potential arrival. A former sixth-round pick by the Patriots in the 2023 draft, Boutte has slowly started to emerge, including a 2025 campaign that saw him catch 33 passes for 551 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. His yards per route run has also increased in each of his three seasons in the NFL to a career-high 1.45 yards last year and he has become a reliable target with one drop on 65 targets according to Pro Football Focus.
While those numbers don’t jump off the page, he’s extremely young and could hit the market at age 24 if he doesn’t come to an agreement on an extension next offseason.
This is where things get interesting. Spotrac estimates a potential extension for Boutte to be $12.4 million per season, which is a bargain considering the Patriots just paid Romeo Doubs $17 million with an additional $12 million in incentives. But Brown carries a cap hit of $23.3 million next season and while New England still has $35.2 million in cap space for the 2026 campaign and $71.8 million in cap space in 2027 according to Over The Cap's calculator, money isn’t the only factor to consider.
Brown is on the trading block because of his vociferous complaints against the Philadelphia Eagles offense. While many of his outbursts were ill-timed, they were also confusing because his 121 targets ranked 16th in the NFL last season. Add in the fact that Brown would immediately become Drake Maye’s favorite target the minute he lands in Foxborough and Boutte could be wondering about how that affects his target share in the upcoming season.
If the Patriots and Boutte don’t reach an agreement, he could theoretically return as the No. 3 receiver behind Doubs and Brown. But he also could be given a lighter workload in that role and could find it hard to build on last season’s improvement and increase his value ahead of free agency whether it be with the Patriots or somewhere else.
It’s an unintended consequence with the Patriots looking to upgrade their passing attack next season. And it could put Boutte in the crossfire as he seeks a new contract and a suitable role next season.
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