He did declare early, but that last year at LSU wasn’t what anyone expected. It’s still not clear what exactly happened, but Boutte’s production and role in the offense declined drastically. He fell all the way to the sixth round in 2023 where the Patriots finally took a chance on him. He appeared in just five games and caught two passes as a rookie, then in January 2024 a warrant was put out for his arrest for underage gambling while he was still at LSU. 

It looked like Boutte was about to flame out and be the latest hyped freshman to fail to sustain his success. But he deserves a ton of credit for the way he has turned around his life and his career since the beginning of 2024. Boutte didn’t just hang on to a roster spot, he earned an expanded role in 2024 and was a productive part of the offense. He finished with 43 grabs, 589 yards and tied for the team lead with three touchdowns. In 2025, Boutte took another step forward and had 33 catches, 551 yards and six scores. 

Those aren’t superstar numbers but Boutte has turned into a legitimately useful player, and that’s a huge win considering how bleak it looked two years ago. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, he has a chance to take another step forward and earn real, life-changing money on that second contract. 

The only hangup is that it probably won’t be with the Patriots, who are seeking to make the leap from “useful” to “dynamic” at receiver this offseason. They signed veteran Romeo Doubs and are believed to be planning a trade for Eagles WR A.J. Brown in June, which would leave little room for Boutte in a receiving corps that was already crowded. Boutte’s availability on the trade block has been an open secret all offseason, with the Patriots willing to do the deal for a mid-to-late Day 3 pick. No takers have emerged yet. 

However, odds are there will be a team willing to bite at something close to that price point as the NFL shifts into training camp and the preseason. Injuries always strike and the start of real deal football practice in pads has a way of showing some teams that their initial offseason plan won’t be sufficient in the fall. Once that happens, Boutte’s market should start to develop. 

It should also be noted that even though Boutte is in a contract year, he has a chance to factor into the compensatory pick formula for his new team if he has a solid season. That would help lessen the acquisition cost, as a team that trades for Boutte could potentially get a pick back even if he ends up being a one-year rental. 

Here are a few teams to watch out for that could swing a trade. 

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons will be working through some big changes on offense this year with new HC Kevin Stefanski arriving and installing a different system than the last few years. Atlanta also remade virtually the entire receiving corps around their No. 1, Drake London, jettisoning Darnell Mooney and adding Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus and third-rounder Zachariah Branch. 

London is great, but that’s not the most imposing group around him unless Branch is electric right from the start. The depth behind the starting group is also almost non-existent. The Falcons will try to get the ball in the hands of London, RB Bijan Robinson and TE Kyle Pitts as much as possible, but there is a need for complementary weapons here.  

That’s where Boutte could fit in. He’s a versatile receiver who has largely played the “X” receiver spot for the Patriots, but is probably better suited to the “Z” and can play all over the formation. He’s more rugged than Zaccheaus and Branch and is a bigger target than Dotson with the same speed to threaten down the field. Falcons QB coach Alex Van Pelt was the play-caller for Boutte in his breakout 2024 season, so there should be plenty of familiarity. 

It remains to be seen if the Falcons would be willing to trade draft capital for a player in the last year of his rookie contract like Boutte, as it seems like the new regime is proceeding conservatively as it evaluates whether a bigger teardown is necessary. It’s possible there’s some sort of player-for-player trade available, as Atlanta did deal DT Ruke Orhorhoro for Jaguars DT Maason Smith this offseason. If the Falcons can figure out that hurdle, Boutte makes a ton of sense for them as a target. 

Washington Commanders

Finding a No. 2 receiver to take attention away from WR Terry McLaurin was a big need for the Commanders this year. However, they weren’t able to close the deal with any of their big free agent targets and they had limited picks to work with in the draft. In the end, Washington opted for a shotgun approach with the hope that one or two of several dart throws would hit. Third-round WR Antonio Williams will get plenty of chances to wrap up the No. 2 role across from McLaurin, while Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey and Van Jefferson duke it out for roster spots and roles after those two. 

Williams is viewed as a relatively polished prospect but it still might be asking a lot of him to be a viable No. 2 threat as a rookie. There’s also a question of whether he’s best-suited for the slot or can also function outside. If no one else on the roster steps up, that leaves a major void in the supporting cast for QB Jayden Daniels, one that Boutte could step in and fill. 

Boutte would give the Commanders a credible outside receiver to line up across from McLaurin — at least more credible than anyone on the roster right now. McLaurin will be the focal point of the offense but the Commanders need someone who can capitalize on opportunities, especially deep down the field, when defenses pay too much attention to McLaurin. Boutte showed a knack for deep routes and making plays over the middle in New England. There aren’t any coaches who worked directly with him, but new Commanders DC Daronte Jones was on the staff at LSU at the same time as Boutte, so the team does have a source. 

Like the Falcons, there are questions about whether the Commanders would be willing to give up a pick for a one-year rental. Washington’s coaching staff does face more pressure to get things right in 2026, though, and the front office knows it has to do a better job of surrounding Daniels with talent than it did this past season. It should help that Boutte likely won’t command much more than a mid-to-late Day 3 pick. 

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders might not have the worst receiving corps in football (I’d give that title to the Dolphins for 2026 at this point). They might be 31st or 32nd out of 32 teams, though. Star TE Brock Bowers, a “football robot from heaven” as Raiders HC Klint Kubiak affectionately termed him, will be the main conduit for the passing offense. But he can’t be the target every play. Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech have to pull their fair share of the weight as the top three wideouts, and it’s fair to question if the group collectively is up to that task. 

For that reason, you’ll see the Raiders connected with just about every available receiver with a pulse from now until they do something about the group. Boutte alone wouldn’t solve the questions about this group, but if the Raiders get into training camp and realize they need more, he represents an option to at least raise the collective floor of the unit. He can play on the outside, whereas Bech and Tucker are probably best-suited to being in the slot, and he’s got a sturdier build than Tucker and Nailor. 

New York Giants

The Giants hit their receiving corps with a barrage of additions this offseason, adding Mooney and Calvin Austin as free agents to join Darius Slayton and Malik Nabers. They also signed TE Isaiah Likely, who is essentially an oversized receiver, and used a third-round pick on WR Malachi Fields. If Nabers’ knee rehab does indeed keep him out in Week 1 and beyond, the Giants have some options. 

Still, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to build in more layers of depth to the group. Boutte played with Nabers at LSU, so the Giants would be able to get plenty of insight into whether he’d be a fit for them. He’d also help diversify the room a little bit. Boutte has a more well-rounded skillset than Slayton, is faster than Fields and is bigger than both Mooney and Austin, who are waterbug-type speedsters.