The options weren't all that exciting if the Kansas City Chiefs were considering a preseason upgrade to the wide receiver corps. But on Monday, with only six days to go before active roster cuts were due, the Houston Texans removed the best remaining player from the trade block.
The Texans and New England Patriots agreed to a trade that sends wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to Houston in exchange for a player and a pick. Safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round choice are heading to New England in the deal, per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero.
Boutte was on the outs in New England for no other reason than the talent around him and the fact that he could bring back a decent return in the process. Still only 24 years old, Boutte has climbed the depth chart from a former sixth-round pick in '23 to become a trusted target for each of the last two seasons in Foxborough. Last year, Boutte had 33 catches for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns with another 9 catches for 168 yards and 1 touchdown in the team's deep postseason run.
The Houston Texans stepped up to take Kayshon Boutte off the trade block.
This offseason, however, the Patriots decided to upgrade the receiving corps significantly for quarterback Drake Maye. They traded a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for A.J. Brown and signed former Packers wideout Romeo Doubs in free agency. Just like that, the team had a new alpha and solid WR2 option before even naming any of the talented holdovers already in place—a list that included DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and more.
Boutte's name had been floated as a possible trade target for several weeks, and given the Chiefs' recent reported interest in Stefon Diggs, it made sense to project a potential preseason marriage between K.C, and N.E. From Rashee Rice's knee surgery to Xavier Worthy's injury history and Tyquan Thornton's lack of proven production to Jalen Royals' inexperience, the Chiefs have questions up and down the entire depth chart. Boutte would have provided security to the offense.
With Boutte out of the picture (and onto the roster of another AFC contender), the Chiefs' hope in the roster as constructed faces even more pressure to be right. Diggs is off the free-agent shelf. Boutte is now off the trade block. There's hardly anything left to even consider if the Chiefs wanted to import any outside talent.
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