Heading into this offseason, the way things were playing out following the hiring of Mike Vrabel immediately revealed one simple fact.
The roster the team finished with at the end of 2024 season wasn’t good enough to compete at the level Vrabel knew they needed to. As a result, a lot of changes were made, with the offensive side of the football being an area that was a priority.
Last offseason included the signing of Mack Hollins, Stefon Diggs, and the drafting of Kyle Williams, all signs that they knew the Patriots needed to be better at the wide receiver position.
Those additions then led to questions about who might stay or who would be gone heading into 2025, which also swirled around Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte as potential candidates in what was simply a crowded position room.
The fact that Boutte was viewed as expendable raised more than a few eyebrows. Especially for a player who had seemingly established himself as the team’s top deep threat. He finished 2024 hauling in 43 passes for 589 yards (a team high 13.7 YPC) and 3 touchdowns last season. Drake Maye was responsible for 30 of those receptions, which went for 381 yards and two touchdowns.
Boutte also came into this offseason carrying some extra weight thanks to the off-field gambling charges he faced two offseasons ago, along with other rumors that swirled behind the scenes over his first couple of seasons.
But when it came to his place on this football team under Vrabel, it sounds like everything changed. There was a fresh set of eyes now taking in everything that was going on, with the only thing of any importance being what each player did as they started working toward 2025. While Vrabel took some of the information he was given into consideration, he explained on Monday during his press conference that he went by his own experience when it came to making any judgments.
“I think we tried to listen to people that had been around some of the players that we had on the roster getting here,” said Vrabel. “But then it’s usually best to just kind of go by what you see and what you experience as opposed to what you hear.”
That’s exactly what he did, and it was evident during the preseason that Boutte’s place on the team was becoming more and more clear.
“It feels like they want him to succeed,” said NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry during an appearance last summer on Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “I mean, he’s consistently done a good job. He’s not making wow-you kinds of plays on a regular basis out here, but I think he’s doing everything right, the little things. I think he’s matured as a player, and my understanding is, he’s matured as a person.”
“It’s hard to believe that, guys, he’s actually a little bit younger than both Javon Baker and Ja’Lynn Polk, even though he’s got a full extra year in the league than those guys. I think they think there’s more upside there with him than there is with somebody like Kendrick Bourne, who, to me, if you didn’t know his name was Kendrick Bourne, based on what he’s done out here at camp, Zo, I don’t think anybody would have him on a 53-man roster projection right now.”
By the time the dust settled, it was Bourne who was out, as was Ja’Lynn Polk. Bourne was granted his release at the end of camp after nothing panned out in terms of a trade, while Polk suffered an injury setback, and the team opted to simply move on. They sent the former second-round selection to New Orleans in exchange for future draft picks, clearing the room for the guys who could help them this season.
Boutte ended up being among that last group standing, and the decision definitely paid dividends. He went out in 2025 and finished with close to the same number of yards (551) on 10 fewer catches with a team-best 16.7 YPC for players with 20 or more receptions.
So far this postseason, his success has continued. He’s the team’s leading receiver with 141 yards, including 3 catches for 75-yards on Sunday during their win over Houston.
Vrabel talked about Boutte again on Monday, with the coach just incredibly proud of the path he’s taken this year, and he’s been happy to see the way his story has turned out.
“I think that just Kayshon’s growth as a person and as a teammate, really, just seeing him open up since I’ve been here. He’s really trusted Todd Downing and the rest of the receivers,” said Vrabel during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “That’s a really good group just from the standpoint that everybody helps, everybody contributes.”
“You saw it again last night,” he added. “I do feel I like his competitiveness. That showed up last week. It showed up last night, and I’m happy for him.”
Later that day, Vrabel also said that Boutte’s versatility and his ability to learn have also played a big role in his success. He added that when he first arrived, he didn’t have any preconceived notions of who Boutte was as a person, and after everything he’s seen, Boutte is “exactly” the type of player he wants in their locker room.
“Probably just his versatility,” he said when asked where he’s seen Boutte develop this year. “I think he’s an easy learner, could play a bunch of different spots if we asked him to. But also, I wasn’t around Kayshon before this year, so I don’t have anything to go off of. I just know that he’s very unselfish, that he makes the most of his opportunities, seems to be and has been a highly competitive player. Doesn’t say a whole lot, does his work, has always been accountable, and is where he needs to be when he needs to be there.”
“You notice his actions. You don’t necessarily hear him. That’s just his personality. But you could certainly see that his identity when he plays is exactly what we want.”
Boutte has already been big this postseason, with Sunday night being another example. He hauled in one of the biggest catches of the night, snagging a 32-yard one-handed touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter that put New England up by two scores at 28-16 with 12:58 left in the game.
That turned out to be the play of the game, and after Vrabel talked last week about the fact it would come down to someone making a big play, it ended up being Boutte who did just that.
“We talk all week about staying aggressive. I think you could say that was one of the plays that we did decide to take a shot,” said Boutte during an interview with the media on Monday. “Early in that drive, we tried to back shoulder. We got the pass interference call, so we went right back at it. Shout out to Drake on the throw. Shout out for him being confident. The O-Line blocking, just making a play.”
“We knew, like Vrabe’s talked about, it’s all going to come down to somebody making a play. And I think at that point in the game, it was 21-16, and we needed a play.”
For a player who seemed to have so many questions before this season, based on rumors, his actions all year have definitely proven otherwise.
In the meantime, it’s been an incredible run for Boutte, who has definitely been a big key to the Patriots’ success through two postseason games. While he’s gotten a lot of recognition after Sunday’s performance, he knows the job isn’t finished. He’s instead still focused on the task at hand, which will hopefully see the team get another win this Sunday out in Denver.
“Yeah, it’s hard to get back to everybody,” said Boutte when asked about all the text messages he’s received since Sunday. “But I think just try not to get too high, too low. We still got another game this week, focused on Denver. Then hopefully we advance to the Super Bowl, and then we’re there.”
Support Us: Help Us Compete Against The Corporate Media Giants
We need your help. If you enjoy our content, please help us beat Google's Corporate algorithm by adding us as a preferred source on Google News.
Click the button below and check the box next to "PatsFans.com"
Add as a preferred source on Google News
Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
