Kayshon Boutte: Everything you need to know

As expected, Boutte participated in Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports. Boutte, who skipped the Patriots' voluntary OTAs, had been the subject of trade speculation in the wake of the team's addition of A.J. Brown in a trade and Romeo Doubs via free agency. However, the 2023 sixth-rounder -- who participated fully in Tuesday's session -- has indicated that he's amenable to sticking around with New England and to that end is willing to work wherever he's needed, "whether that's at X (receiver), Z (receiver), F (slot receiver)...whatever I got to do, that's best for me." With Brown and Doubs sitting firmly atop the WR depth chart, Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams remain candidates to compete for snaps in three-receiver sets, per Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site.

Boutte said Sunday that he plans to attend New England's mandatory minicamp from June 15-17 after having skipped spring voluntary workouts, Dan Roche of WBZ reports. Boutte's standing with the Patriots for 2026 (the final year of his rookie deal) and beyond has been a point of offseason speculation after the team traded for A.J. Brown from the Eagles and inked Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal during free agency. The 24-year-old acknowledged that he tries to block out "the trade rumors or anything like that," saying "I want to be in New England for the rest of my career." Across 14 regular-season games in 2025, Boutte tallied a 33-551-6 line on 46 targets while averaging a career-best 16.7 yards per catch. With he and Brown effectively playing the same X receiver role, however, it may be difficult for Boutte to push for more than rotational reps in 2026.

With the Patriots having added Romeo Doubs in free agency and traded for A.J. Brown, Evan Lazar of the team's official site suggests that Boutte is in line to compete for snaps in three-receiver sets. As things stand, Brown and Doubs sit atop the Patriots WR depth chart, leaving Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams to compete for snaps and targets that don't go to the top duo. Boutte is coming of a 2025 campaign in which he caught 33 of 46 targets for 551 yards and six touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, but with Brown and Doubs destined to command plenty of attention from QB Drake Maye, the 2023 sixth-rounder's fantasy upside could take a hit in 2026. It's also possible that New England will elect to explore the possibility of dealing Boutte, with NESN's Dakota Randall noting via ESPN's Adam Schefter, that the 24-year-old, who hasn't been present for voluntary OTAs, "has been interested in a trade."