The Atlanta Falcons are 3-5 after a shutout loss to Tampa Bay, but ESPN believes they could still find affordable help at wide receiver before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. One suggestion would require a player to change teams for the second time in less than three months.
Houston Texans receiver Kayshon Boutte arrived from New England in August. Since then, Houston has added Marvin Harrison Jr. and fallen to 2-5, giving Atlanta a potential opening if the Texans are willing to listen.
Falcons Kayshon Boutte Trade Idea Involves Second Move
In ESPN’s Nov. 4 trade deadline preview, ESPN’s Seth Walder chose Boutte as the receiver Atlanta should pursue.
“This would be the second time Boutte has been traded this season, after the Patriots dealt him to Houston in August,” Walder wrote.
The circumstances have changed considerably since that deal.
“But that was before the Texans traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. (and before the Texans got out to a 2-5 start),” Walder added.
Houston sent a 2027 second-round pick and a seventh-rounder to Arizona for Harrison and a sixth-round selection in October.
Walder believes Atlanta’s position in the NFC South makes an affordable addition worth considering.
“The Falcons are 3-5 but not out of the race in the NFC South, so adding a cheap player who could help is not out of the question, and Boutte is exactly that,” Walder wrote.
The proposed move is Walder’s recommendation, rather than a report that Atlanta has contacted Houston.
Boutte was acquired by the Texans on Aug. 24 after New England agreed to take safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick in return. Houston was looking for help after losing Jayden Higgins to a season-ending knee injury.
The 24-year-old has caught 15 passes for 194 yards without a touchdown in seven games for Houston. His numbers were better with the Patriots in 2025, when he finished with 33 catches for 551 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 16.7 yards per reception.
Boutte is in the final year of his rookie contract, with a 2026 cap charge of approximately $3.7 million. Any acquiring team would have to consider his upcoming free agency but would not be taking on a guaranteed multiyear deal.
Falcons’ Trade Deadline Plans Could Complicate ESPN’s Suggestion
Atlanta has its own reasons to look at receiver. Drake London leads the team with 39 catches for 624 yards, while Jahan Dotson has 14 receptions for 337 yards. Rookie Zachariah Branch has 10 catches for 64 yards, and Olamide Zaccheaus has five for 21.
The Falcons invested in Dotson, Zaccheaus and Branch this offseason, but the production behind London has been uneven. Adding Boutte would give the offense another outside receiver with a history of making downfield plays.
The front office, however, might have little appetite for surrendering picks. In the same ESPN article, ESPN’s Marc Raimondi wrote that general manager Ian Cunningham “wants to build the Falcons through the draft.”
Raimondi warned readers not to expect Atlanta to make an aggressive move, writing that teams should “not expect him to gamble away picks unless there’s a no-brainer offer out there.”
Atlanta made only five selections in the 2026 draft, a shortage Cunningham wants to avoid repeating. Raimondi said the Falcons are unlikely to be especially active at 3-5, despite believing they can still compete in the NFC South.
That makes Boutte’s price central to Walder’s suggestion. Houston acquired him for a depth safety and a late-round pick in August. With Harrison now on its roster, the Texans face their own decision about where Boutte fits going forward.
For Atlanta, the question is whether a receiver who produced six touchdowns last season is worth spending another draft asset to help Michael Penix Jr. now.
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