Mike Vrabel just dropped a bombshell about Kayshon Boutte that’ll make your jaw hit the floor. Despite the New England Patriots bringing in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason, giving them a stacked wide receiver room, Vrabel admitted their plan for Boutte if he hadn’t been traded to the Houston Texans was absolutely wild. Boutte, a talented receiver, would have been a healthy inactive on game days this August, just sitting on the bench. Seriously.
The Patriots’ Baffling Bench Strategy
Vrabel straight up said, “Without injuries, Kayshon probably would’ve been inactive, unfortunately. Kind of the way it was, him not playing special teams.” Think about that for a second. We’re talking about a guy with real talent, not some fringe roster player, being a healthy scratch. This isn’t about being a backup wideout; it’s about being totally out of the game-day plans. Brown and Doubs would clearly start, no doubt about it. But behind those two, Boutte would have likely been the third-best receiver on that roster. You’ve got DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III, but none of them bring the big-play upside that Boutte has. And yet, the plan was for him to watch from the sidelines.
Boutte’s Production Ignored
This decision gets even crazier when you look at Boutte’s numbers from last season. The guy hauled in 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns. He even added nine catches for 168 yards and a score in the playoffs! Last year, he was in lockstep with Mack Hollins as the No. 2 receiver in New England. Sure, with Brown and Doubs coming in, Boutte’s workload would naturally decrease in 2026. But to go from a significant role to completely inactive? That’s a huge leap. Vrabel pointed to his lack of special teams involvement as a “real factor,” but it’s still a baffling decision to not even activate a quality wide receiver like Boutte on game days. Vrabel’s admission after the trade really highlights that Boutte, despite his solid 2025 season, was just not in the Patriots’ plans for 2026 at all.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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