It seems like there’s always a trade saga between the New England Patriots and wide receivers. First, it was A.J. Brown, and now it’s Kayshon Boutte.
Recently, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Boutte is looking for a trade away from New England. The 24-year-old hadn’t been at the voluntary offseason workouts, he is entering the final year of his contract, and his immediate outlook with the team looks a bit murky in a suddenly crowded receiver room.
However, in a recent interview with Dan Roche of WBZ-TV, Boutte made it clear that he enjoys being in New England and wants to spend the rest of his career there.
“I want to be in New England for the rest of my career. I will say,” Boutte said. “I enjoy it out here, been out here for three years. Every day I’m here, I call this home. This is my new home. Grew up in Louisiana, stayed there 20 years, but now Boston is my life.”
And perhaps nobody should be happier about this than the Patriots’ young star quarterback, Drake Maye.
Drake Maye has real weapons now, especially if Kayshon Boutte stays
For the first time in a long time, the Patriots actually have something that could resemble an elite offense.
There are high expectations for Maye, who just finished as the runner-up for the MVP award in his second season. The acquisitions of Brown and Romeo Doubs should open a lot for the Patriots’ offense. Their offensive line looks improved with the additions of rookie Caleb Lomu and Alijah Vera-Tucker. The team’s running game looks promising. And, perhaps most importantly, they have some real depth in the receiver room.
Brown is the go-to guy, but Doubs (excels in the middle of the field), Kyle Williams (has home-run potential and should be even better in his second season), Mack Hollins (excellent run-blocker, became Ol’ Reliable for Maye in the playoffs – 6 receptions on 10 targets, 129 yards, a touchdown between AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl), and their tight ends (Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon) should all provide real value in New England’s offense.
And if the team can keep Boutte, who has established himself as one of Maye’s favorite targets early on, that could be crucial in the North Carolina native’s development moving forward.
Kayshon Boutte can provide long-term value in New England
There’s a fair debate to be had about whether the Patriots should trade Boutte or not.
On one hand, he’s due for a pay raise by next offseason, and it doesn’t make a ton of sense for New England to give it to him when it has Brown, Doubs, and maybe even Williams, eventually, ahead of him on the depth chart. Plus, there’s basically no world where he becomes the Patriots’ No.1 receiver at this point, so a split could make sense for both sides.
But on the other hand, it’s clear that he has talent and deep-threat potential, and he would be a fantastic receiver to have opposite Brown, especially because of his budding chemistry with Maye.
Regardless of what happens, there’s no denying that Boutte has a lot of good football left in him. And if the Patriots keep him around for at least one more season and maybe work it out for the long run, that could pay dividends for him, the team, and most importantly, for Maye.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source chowderandchampions.com ’
