Patriots Tabbed to Trade $49.6 Million Receiver in A.J. Brown Deal

The New England Patriots picked LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, 187th overall, making Boutte one of the final players drafted by legendary coach Bill Belichick, who was fired after the Patriots finished 4-13 in the 2023 season.

But Boutte is still with the team and, over the past two seasons, emerged as one of the top pass-catching options for franchise quarterback Drake Maye. That leaves New England at a crossroads with Boutte — a decision that could directly impact any push for A.J. Brown.

In 2025, his 551 yards made the 23-year-old the Patriots second-leading wide receiver. With team leader Stefon Diggs (1,013 yards) no longer with the team, Boutte now stands alone as the Patriots’ top remaining wideout.

The upcoming season, however, will be the last one on Boutte’s four-year rookie contract. As a sixth-round pick, the Patriots signed Boutte for a highly manageable $4 million, with $3.7 million of that due to be paid out in 2026.

After that, either Boutte becomes a free agent or the Patriots sign him to an extension — a contract that the sports business site Spotrac estimates will cost the team $49.6 million over four seasons, or about $12.4 million per year.

What do the Patriots do with Boutte? Extend his contract at that sizable price tag? Let him become a free agent in 2027? Or, as Locked On Patriots podcast host Nick Cattles urged on Tuesday, trade him now?

What Is the Case for Trading Kayshon Boutte?
On his Tuesday podcast, Cattles — a veteran Patriots analyst and longtime Boston sports radio fixture — said that discussion of extending Boutte’s contract had fallen off the table.

“Placing Kayshon Boutte on the trade block is an option we need to discuss. You go back to October or early November of 2025, and at that time there were a number of people, including myself, talking about the idea of signing Kayshon Boutte to a contract extension. Boutte got off to a very good start early last season, then kind of faded,” Cattles said on the Locked On Patriots podcast. “Now you look at it: he’s entering the last year of his contract, and here we are in March of 2026 — very different conversation. We’re not talking about extending Boutte anymore, instead talking about possibly putting him on the trade block.”

Cattles argued that the Patriots have solid financial reasons for trading Boutte this offseason.

“Are you going to pay Boutte $12 to $15 million a year?” Cattles asked on the podcast. “$12 to $13 million a year is not ‘crazy money’ anymore for a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver on the market. But are you going to pay that when you’re already paying Romeo Doubs around $17 million a year?”

The Patriots this month signed Doubs as a free agent away from the Green Bay Packers with a four-year deal worth about $17 million per year.

What Would Be the Return in a Boutte Trade?
On the question of what Boutte could bring back, Cattles quickly brought up a player linked to the Patriots repeatedly over the past several weeks — Philadelphia Eagles three-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher A.J. Brown.

“Boutte could be part of an A.J. Brown trade,” Cattles said. “If you could give up Boutte instead of an extra draft pick for A.J. Brown, that makes sense. I’m not saying Boutte for Brown straight up — don’t get it twisted — but if Philly would take a first-rounder, a fifth, and Boutte instead of a first and a fourth, would you make that deal? It could save you a pick.”

Finally, in making the case to trade Boutte, Cattles cited the young receiver’s declining production last season, noting that, “in (Boutte’s) first seven games of 2025, he had 20 catches, 356 yards, and four touchdowns. In his final seven, that dropped to 13 catches, 195 yards, and two touchdowns.”

Cattles concluded by saying that not only would he be supportive of a Boutte trade, he “abso-freaking-lutely” is in favor of the Patriots dealing away the receiver.