Patriots Trade Wide Receiver Kayshon Boutte to Texans for Safety Jaylen Reed

HOUSTON —

The Houston Texans have agreed to acquire wide receiver Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots, according to ESPN, which cited sources confirming the deal Monday. The Ringer first reported the trade.

Houston is sending safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick to New England in exchange for Boutte, ESPN reported.

The trade comes a week after the Texans lost wide receiver Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL during joint practices with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to ESPN. Higgins, a 2025 second-round pick, had been expected to serve as Houston's No. 2 receiver behind Nico Collins after catching 525 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans called the injury "significant," ESPN reported.

A Crowded Patriots Receiver Room

Boutte, 24, is entering the final year of his contract. He started 10 games for New England last season, catching 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns, according to ESPN. Over the past two seasons he caught nine touchdown passes, tied with tight end Hunter Henry for the most by any Patriots player in that span, ESPN reported.

New England's receiver depth chart got crowded this year. The Patriots traded for A.J. Brown on June 1 and signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million deal in March, on top of returning players DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III, according to ESPN. CBS Sports reported that rumors of a Boutte trade had circulated for weeks, and that Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had voiced concerns about his roster's depth just two days before the deal was made.

Boutte set career highs with 43 receptions and 589 yards in 2024 before catching a career-high six touchdowns last season, CBS Sports reported. New England picked him in the sixth round of the 2023 draft out of LSU.

Filling A Sudden Void

After Higgins went down, the Texans also called the Baltimore Ravens about receiver Rashod Bateman but passed given his legal issues, and were not interested in a reunion with former Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, now an assistant receivers coach at Georgia Tech, according to CBS Sports.

Boutte joins a Houston receiver room that includes Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Tank Dell, Justin Watson and Lewis Bond behind Collins, ESPN reported.

Reed, a sixth-round pick in 2025, appeared in seven games as a rookie and made 14 tackles with a fumble recovery, according to CBS Sports. He started both of Houston's playoff games, including the divisional-round loss to New England.