Patriots reportedly unwilling to trade away WR Mack Hollins

The Patriots got mixed reviews from fans when they traded Kayshon Boutte to the Texans prior to the start of the season.

And that trade has aged poorly thanks to A.J. Brown’s high-ankle sprain he suffered in the opener. New England now finds itself down a deep threat receiver and in need of a backup like Boutte.

But, according to NFL insider Albert Breer on 98.5 The Sports Hub, at least one team was intrigued by a different Patriots wide receiver: Mack Hollins. The Patriots reportedly shot down advances to a “respected” team fishing for a chance at Hollins.

Apparently, Boutte was the preferred player that New England was more willing to part ways with.

“I had a team calling me asking if the Patriots would trade Hollins. This was about four or five weeks ago,” Breer said. “I brought up Boutte, and they were like, ‘No, we’d rather have Mack Hollins’. That team was a contender, and you’d respect them if you knew who it was. And the Patriots didn’t want to trade him.”

But, as Mike Vrabel pointed out at the time, and Breer reinforced, Hollins is giving the Patriots a lot more special teams versatility on top of playing a similar type of role to Boutte.

Hollins may figure into a major role in the coming weeks while Brown is absent. He already received a healthy share of snaps in Week 1, and Romeo Doubs didn’t exactly have the stellar debut he’d hoped for.

It would seem to be Doubs, Hollins, and DeMario Douglas splitting the vast majority of receiver reps for the time being. So New England will surely be hoping their bet on Hollins over Boutte pans out with offensive upside, and not just special teams consideration.

The Patriots will look to bounce back from their season-opening loss next Sunday afternoon against the Steelers.