Guregian: Boutte Requested a Trade Back in April

[Bill Lee]

The team should keep Boutte at least for now, and he should want to stay.

We know what he wants: a clear path to a big multi-year contract either here or elsewhere.

We know it won't be here since we won't have the cap room to sign him to the kind of contract he wants.

Same situation that we've had all off-season.

Even worse since we signed AJB, because the roster spot situation is now even tighter.

It's still not clear to me if he stays on the roster through cut-down day.

That's exactly what the other teams are waiting to see.

Till then, the trade offers will be crap.

As above, if someone wanted him they would have put late round draft capital on the table.

No one has, so the next decision point IMO is cut-down day.

If a team gives up draft capital for him then Boutte's agent knows they have skin in the game and asks for a big contract.

If a team picks him up as a cut-down victim then they have tons of leverage over him and his agent.

Again, if he was valued more highly then we wouldn't be in this situation, but we are in this situation.

 

[moosekill]

I would look at him like a pretty good wide receiver. Worth a 5th/6th round pick. If he continues to behave and play well this summer, maybe you get a 4th/5th. Is he worth more than that to the patriots that is the question. If they view him as #3 or #4 wr maybe. If they view him as 4/5 maybe not. He has been good not great.

 

[Family]

Again, if he was valued more highly then we wouldn't be in this situation, but we are in this situation.

Of course.

But if Boutte can post numbers like last year if he remains (he only played in 14 games), then as a team guy UFA he will get a 2 year deal for decent money.

The league still has to filter through available players. Deebo just signed yesterday, and guys like Diggs are around. His value is at a low now.

A lot can/will happen in the next month. Injuries happen. Teams get desperate. especially at WR.

I'd keep him around. And he should want to stay, and enhance his reputation as a good teammate. His value here might increase more than if he's stuck with a marginal QB, an offense he doesn't know, or the defense is more focused on him as a primary target.

 

[jimnance]

I mean it doesn’t take a genius. Their WR’s weren’t great last year. Drake obviously also favored taller bigger guys. They had a plan this offseason to upgrade the unit

A 5’11” outside the hashes not fast deep threat who maxes out at 500-600 yards receiving despite max snaps and opportunities was not the optimal answer.

Whether the Patriots told, or put him on the trade block is irrelevant… they were improving with his approval or not.

He was obviously going to be the odd man out… he still is. If they hadn’t paid Doubs I would say there’s a chance he stays, but Doubs is 6’2” and has been more productive with a lesser QB.

Let’s see where this competition leads, but one day of physicality and full pad contact and Boutte was not heard from at all yesterday.

Depth,Wozzy. They trade Boutte and either Brown or Doubs goes down,you've put a huge dent into any SB hopes.
Again, a trade for a 4th or 5th round pick is asinine

 

[jimnance]

I mean it doesn’t take a genius. Their WR’s weren’t great last year. Drake obviously also favored taller bigger guys. They had a plan this offseason to upgrade the unit

A 5’11” outside the hashes not fast deep threat who maxes out at 500-600 yards receiving despite max snaps and opportunities was not the optimal answer.

Whether the Patriots told, or put him on the trade block is irrelevant… they were improving with his approval or not.

He was obviously going to be the odd man out… he still is. If they hadn’t paid Doubs I would say there’s a chance he stays, but Doubs is 6’2” and has been more productive with a lesser QB.

Let’s see where this competition leads, but one day of physicality and full pad contact and Boutte was not heard from at all yesterday.

Depth,Wozzy. They trade Boutte and either Brown or Doubs goes down,you've put a huge dent into any SB hopes.
Again, a trade for a 4th or 5th round

I would look at him like a pretty good wide receiver. Worth a 5th/6th round pick. If he continues to behave and play well this summer, maybe you get a 4th/5th. Is he worth more than that to the patriots that is the question. If they view him as #3 or #4 wr maybe. If they view him as 4/5 maybe not. He has been good not great.

Yeah, trading him in the off-season is a totally different story. That makes sense. Trading him now will weaken this team. There's nobody they could pick up in that trade who will help the team as much as Boutte.
This team is still building but they're playing to win a SB now.

 

[Ring 6]

Depth,Wozzy. They trade Boutte and either Brown or Doubs goes down,you've put a huge dent into any SB hopes.
Again, a trade for a 4th or 5th round

Yeah, trading him in the off-season is a totally different story. That makes sense. Trading him now will weaken this team. There's nobody they could pick up in that trade who will help the team as much as Boutte.
This team is still building but they're playing to win a SB now.

It’s more than depth. We use 3 WRs as our base offense.
WR3 is a starter not depth.

 

[Wozzy]

Depth,Wozzy. They trade Boutte and either Brown or Doubs goes down,you've put a huge dent into any SB hopes

DeGennaro and Dorner are looking good.

If someone gets hurt, it's next man up.

Again, a trade for a 4th or 5th round pick is asinine

No it's not, not if the WR room looks packed and you know you're going to lose Boutte for nothing next offseason because you have no plan to pay him.

 

[mgteich]

Depth,Wozzy. They trade Boutte and either Brown or Doubs goes down,you've put a huge dent into any SB hopes.
Again, a trade for a 4th or 5th round pick is asinine

So, he is a critical #4 WR for us?

 

[Wozzy]

It’s more than depth. We use 3 WRs as our base offense.
WR3 is a starter not depth.

Boutte is not one of your top two best outside WR'S, that's Brown and Doubs.

He's also not better than Douglas or Chism in the slot.

So he's getting a lot of respect from the coaches in camp running with the ones, but he's not part of the best 3 WR group.

He's maybe the 3rd best outside WR, with a much faster potentially better Williams nipping at his heels.

 

[Pape]

would rather keep him in new england than get a 4, 5 or 6 for him...

 

[rkarp1]

Boutte had a better season than Doubs did
they can afford to pay Boutte with a little creativity
AJ Browns contract is incredibly team friendly

 

[Pape]

Depth,Wozzy. They trade Boutte and either Brown or Doubs goes down,you've put a huge dent into any SB hopes.
Again, a trade for a 4th or 5th round pick is asinine

still not sold on doubs

 

[Ring 6]

So, he is a critical #4 WR for us?

He is not WR4

 

[jimnance]

DeGennaro and Dorner are looking good.

If someone gets hurt, it's next man up.

No it's not, not if the WR room looks packed and you know you're going to lose Boutte for nothing next offseason because you have no plan to pay him.

I've been talking about the state of the wr room now. And right now they need Boutte.
"Howevah", if Pop, Williams and /or Chism all show major progress over the rest of preseason, that could be a different story.
They look good but I need to see more.
Williams is the most important of those 3 since he would more of the same routes as Boutte than both Pop and Chism.
The closer we get to regular season, the more Boutte fetches in a trade to a team that loses a key receiver over the next month.
It will all sort itself out. The wr room is so intensely competitive its gonna make everybody improve. So maybe later in August, one of the top 6 wrs gets moved.

 

[BTTA]

The statistical odds on a 5th or 6th round pick ever being of value to the team, in any way, are less than 50/50. The difference between the play of the few players from those rounds who make a team, and guys who are UDFA's, is pretty narrow. Trading a player for that kind of comp is next to worthless, unless getting out from under a contract in which case its just acquiring someone else's cap money for the player.