The New England Patriots officially traded wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans this week, receiving safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028th seventh-round draft pick in return.
Boutte’s departure comes after a long offseason full of speculation over his future.
Advertisement
The 24-year old requested a trade this past spring as he enters a contract year and was set to see both his playing time and production dip after the Patriots upgraded their wide receiver depth chart with A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs. Mike Vrabel even revealed Boutte would have been inactive during the season, barring injuries.
As New England’s wide receiver room remained deep even beyond Brown and Doubs, the decision was made to move off of Boutte, who never eclipsed the 600-yard mark, to add depth elsewhere on the roster and open up more opportunities for players like Kyle Williams.
But for a Patriots team that remains Super Bowl hopeful — where they currently are tied with the fifth-highest odds on FanDuel Sportsbook to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season — many believed the team should have kept the pass catcher, who has strong chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye.
That is why in the results of the latest SB Nation Reacts survey, 30% of participants voted the trade as a neutral C.
Advertisement
Much of comment section agreed, largely do to what was viewed as a minimal return:
SlotMachinePlayer
The grade for this draft depends on two things:
Brown staying healthy, since Boutte was the guy most likely to fill that role if he’s hurt.
Reed turning into a useful depth player; something Boutte was.
The draft pick was meh. Could have likely gotten a higher comp pick if Boutte went elsewhere at the end of the year. Looking like a D right now, since safety wasn’t a position of need, and Reed didn’t play much.
PatriotPapa
C. Should have gotten a much higher draft pick beyond the 1-for-1 player trade. Patriots had Houston needing to make the trade having just lost Jayden Higgins with torn ACL. Getting much needed help in run defense was a solid move, but a higher draft pick IN 2027 should have been demanded.
For Pats Sake
F-
Patriots got fleeced.
Should have been for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2027 3rd or 4th Round Pick.
Instead we got a freaking 2028 7th and a player that has not been as productive as Boutte.Sportsbozo52
I think they got what they wanted. A viable player and a 28 draft choice. Boutte will do well in Texas. May he continue to grow! I am a fan of his and will remain a fan of his, just not when he plays the Patriots. I don’t know much about Jaylin Reed, let’s hope he sticks with the Patriots and can be a contributor for the upcoming season.
new_phal3123
I think C+ in the sense that it’s just right down the middle. It’s the reality of the market for that type of WR. I think Boutte is a valuable player but in his role with 1 year left, there’s just not a huge market. The plus comes from getting an immediate contributor rather than just a future day 3 pick.
Todger
Thirty two teams could be looking for a replacement WR, due to a season ending injury, within one week of the season start
All in all, this week’s survey results look as follows:
Some were in favor of the trade, as 5% of voters graded the move as an A with 24% giving the deal a B. That may have to do with the potential of Jaylen Reed taking on a larger defensive role in New England and becoming the third safety the team was looking for to pair with Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson.
Most fans were on the opposite end of the spectrum, however, as 16% of voters grading the trade as a F with another 25% awarding it a D.
Following the move, the Houston Texans are now tied with the Patriots in Super Bowl odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. According to executive vice president of player personal Eliot Wolf, the Patriots were not worried about sending Boutte to a fellow AFC contender.
Advertisement
“No, there was no concern about that, and I don’t think there was any concern for them to send us a safety that we think can play,” Wolf said.
Read the full article here