Patriots Trade Kayshon Boutte to Texans

Kayshon Boutte is a Houston Texan. The New England Patriots traded the wide receiver to Houston on Monday for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Tom Pelissero of The Ringer first had the deal. ESPN and the Boston Globe confirmed it, and NBC Sports said the trade was processed on the league wire. The 53-man cutdown is still Sunday, Aug. 30. New England just solved part of a receiver logjam a week early.

Houston needed a body. Jayden Higgins, the 2025 second-round pick projected as the No. 2 beside Nico Collins, tore his ACL in joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders. Coach DeMeco Ryans called the loss significant. NFL.com said general manager Nick Caserio swung the deal with his former employer. Boutte, 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, a 2023 sixth-round pick out of LSU, is in the final year of his rookie contract.

Kayshon Boutte trade: the return, the tape, the room

ESPN listed Boutte at 33 catches, 551 yards, and six touchdowns in 14 games last season, with 10 starts. He had nine touchdown receptions over the past two seasons, tied with tight end Hunter Henry for the most by any Patriot in that span. NFL.com put his two seasons with Drake Maye at 76 catches, 1,140 yards, and nine scores, plus seven catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in playoff wins over the Chargers and Texans on the run to Super Bowl LX.

Reed is a 2025 sixth-rounder out of Penn State. ESPN said he played seven games as a rookie. NBC Sports had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery, mostly on special teams. The Globe said the 23-year-old now sits behind Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson. Rapoport, per NBC, said the 2028 seventh-rounder originated with the Saints. It is not a star-for-star swap. It is a cut-week trade with a landing spot that has targets.

Why New England moved, and what Houston gets

The Patriots added A.J. Brown on June 1 and signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million deal in March, ESPN recapped. DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III were already in the room. The Globe said if Boutte had stayed, Chism was the likely odd man out. Mike Vrabel's club had more receivers than 53-man math. Boutte had been the rumor all camp. TreVeyon Henderson's ankle tests are the other Foxborough story this week. This one is a roster decision, not a trainer's tent.

In Houston, Boutte joins Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Tank Dell, Justin Watson, and Lewis Bond behind Collins, ESPN listed. The Athletic noted Dell is still working back from a 2024 leg injury. Boutte is not a seamless Higgins clone. He is a contract-year deep threat who already beat Houston in January. C.J. Stroud now has to get him the ball. Zamir White's trade to the Saints was Sunday's other cut-week move. This one changed two depth charts on Monday.

Kayshon Boutte trade FAQ

What did the Patriots get for Kayshon Boutte? Safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick, per NFL Network, ESPN, NBC Sports, and the Boston Globe. The trade was processed Monday.

Why did Houston trade for Kayshon Boutte? Jayden Higgins tore his ACL in joint practices with the Raiders. He was the projected No. 2 receiver. Ryans called that loss significant. Boutte is a stopgap behind Nico Collins.

Is Kayshon Boutte a free agent? No. He is in the last year of his rookie deal. New England created a logjam by adding Brown and Doubs. Houston gets him for a depth safety and a late pick.