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The Houston Texans are swinging a trade for a veteran wide receiver ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
The Texans are acquiring Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports. The Patriots will receive second-year safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for Boutte.
Boutte is coming off a strong third NFL season during which he totaled 33 catches for 551 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. His average yards per reception of 16.7 ranked fourth in the NFL among qualified wide-outs behind only Alec Pierce (21.3), Christian Watson (17.5) and Jameson Williams (17.2).
Here’s more to know about Boutte’s fit with the Texans, as well as the full details of the trade between the AFC rivals.
Texans get:
Patriots get:
- S Jaylen Reed
- 2028 seventh-round pick (via New Orleans Saints)
Houston’s acquisition of Boutte comes after the team lost projected No. 2 receiver Jayden Higgins for the season to a torn ACL. Boutte figures to compete with several veterans for that role across from two-time Pro Bowler Nico Collins.
The top incumbent options Boutte will have to fend off are Xavier Hutchinson and Tank Dell. The former has started just nine games across his three NFL seasons to date while the latter missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a significant knee injury late in the 2024 NFL season against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Those issues should give Boutte a path toward eventually earning the No. 2 role with the Texans. It’s just a matter of how long it will take for him to beat out those players, recent veteran free agent acquisitions Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones and slot man Jaylin Noel for playing time.
Below is a look at the projected pecking order in Houston’s wide receiver room after the Boutte trade:
- Nico Collins
- Kayshon Boutte
- Tank Dell
- Xavier Hutchinson
- Jaylin Noel
- Justin Watson
The Texans also have the aforementioned Jones and Shepard, as well as Jared Wayne and sixth-round rookie Lewis Bond, battling for spots on the team’s 53-man roster, among others.
For now, Boutte, Dell and Hutchinson figure to battle for the bulk of the playing time across from Collins while Noel will see action in the slot.
Regardless of how long it takes Boutte to earn the No. 2 receiver job in Houston, he should have a clearer path toward playing time than he did in New England.
Boutte was buried on New England’s wide receiver depth chart after the team traded for A.J. Brown and signed Romeo Doubs during the offseason. That’s part of the reason Boutte requested a trade earlier in the offseason and New England eventually complied with the request.
The Patriots will now hope second-year wide-out Kyle Williams can step into Boutte’s role as a deep threat. Trading Boutte also makes it easier for the team to keep Mack Hollins and Efton Chism III as depth pieces with blocking and special teams value.
Additionally, the Patriots will hope Reed can carve out a role in their secondary. The Texans selected the Penn State product in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He appeared in seven games (one start), notching 14 tackles and a fumble recovery while allowing nine receptions and a 118.8 passer rating, per Pro Football Focus.
Reed, 23, will be expected to battle for a backup job behind Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson upon arriving in New England.