Patriots trade WR Kayshon Boutte to Texans for S Jaylen Reed, 2028 seventh-rounder

The first notable trade of cutdown week is done. The Patriots are sending receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Texans in exchange for safety Jaylen Reed and a draft pick, Tom Pelissero reported Monday afternoon.

The full terms followed within minutes: Houston acquires Boutte while sending Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick back to New England, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

For the Patriots, this is a numbers decision with a small return. Boutte, the former LSU standout who caught 43 passes for New England last season, had been buried on a depth chart remade this offseason — headlined by the blockbuster acquisition of A.J. Brown from Philadelphia — and his route to regular snaps in Josh McDaniels' offense had all but closed. Rather than lose him for nothing at Tuesday's cutdown deadline, New England converts him into a developmental safety and late capital.

For Houston, it's a low-cost bet on a receiver who has flashed real ability when given targets. The Texans' receiving room behind Nico Collins is still sorting itself out after losing Jayden Higgins to injury last week, and general manager Nick Caserio has a history of harvesting castoffs from roster crunches. Boutte arrives with two weeks to learn the offense before Houston opens against Indianapolis on September 7.

Reed, the return piece, was a seventh-round pick by Houston in April's draft out of Penn State and gives New England a young body for a safety group that has been banged up through camp — Craig Woodson among those missing practice time this week.

Both teams must set their 53-man rosters by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, and this swap clears runway on both sides of the ball.