The Baltimore Ravens need more wide receivers despite having 2 highly-paid ones on the roster and drafting 2 more — it’s still just not enough.
Sports Illustrated’s Jason La Canfora made a “realistic” trade pitch that brings the Ravens a reliable, standout wide receiver from 1 of their rivals, swapping a 2027 4th round pick in exchange for New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.
Boutte would no doubt be an upgrade over the current group of projected WR3 candidates behind starters Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
“We are bullish on Devontez Walker and have urged the Ravens not to sign another end-of-the-line vet receiver,” La Canfora wrote on June 19. “But Boutte is just 24, he has been exponentially better and more durable than Walker and he would immediately, for me, allow the Ravens to consider Rashod Bateman addition and subtraction and move him on. Heck, maybe New England would want him in this trade, and you use that savings to sign a center.”
Boutte can fill the role of a WR2 or WR3 with ease. He racked up over 500 receiving yards each of the last 2 seasons, including 33 receptions for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns in 14 games in 2025.
In New England’s run to Super Bowl LX, Boutte had 9 receptions for 168 yards and 1 touchdown in 4 games.
Gambling Issues May Have Impacted Draft Stock
Boutte, 6-foot and 197 pounds, set the SEC single-game record for receiving yards with 14 receptions for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns as a freshman at LSU in 2020.
In 3 seasons at LSU, Boutte had 131 receptions for 1,781 yards and 16 touchdowns, but was wildly inconsistent — something that may have been attributed to an admitted gambling addiction while he was in college.
Drafted by the Patriots in the 6th round (No. 187 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft, a warrant was issued for Boutte’s arrest in January 2024 that alleged he placed almost 9,000 bets while in college, including at least 6 times on LSU games he played in.
Boutte Addressed Gambling Addiction in Article
All of the charges against Boutte were dropped in July 2024, and he addressed the issues in an article titled “How The Hell Did I Get Here?” on The Players’ Tribune in 2026.
“I fell in love with gambling,” Boutte wrote. ” … I was 20. I was at LSU. Full ride. Whole future ahead of me. And I didn’t care at all … I’d wake up early in the morning, and the first thing I’d do was bet. I’d stay up late and bet. All day. All night. I had insomnia, so if I woke up in the middle of the night, phone next to the bed, I’d bet … That’s how I damn near ruined my life.”
If a deal does go through, Boutte would be an incredible value to the Ravens in 2026, when he’ll be in the final season of his 4-year, $4.02 million rookie contract.
It would also help the Ravens avoid using a 1st-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft on a wide receiver if Boutte and either Lane or Sarratt become steady contributors.
Pro Football Network predicts the Ravens will replace departed Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum in the 1st round of the 2027 NFL draft, where their latest mock draft has them taking Iowa center Kade Pieper with the No. 29 overall pick.
‘Realistic’ Ravens Trade Pitch Lands WR From AFC Rival