Texans' Kayshon Boutte Reacts to Mike Vrabel Saying He Would've Been 'Inactive' for Patriots Games

Over the weekend, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters that wideout Kayshon Boutte "probably would have been inactive" had he remained on the team.

Instead, he was traded to the Houston Texans, and the veteran wideout responded to Vrabel's comments on Thursday:

"They did pay two guys to come in and do that job," he told reporters. "Sadly, it is the way it is. Being that it's a contract year for me, I [sought] a bigger role. I feel like what Vrabes said in his media interview, it wasn't nothing bad. I wouldn't say I'll use that as fuel... It was an honest opinion. He sat there, talked, [spoke] his truth, and [we'll] pretty much move forward from it."

The Patriots traded for A.J. Brown in the offseason, signed Romeo Doubs and brought back DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins. That left them with plenty of options at receiver, a major upgrade on the weapons Drake Maye had at his disposal last season.

It also made Boutte expendable. The 24-year-old was solid for the Patriots, with over 500 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons and a career-high six touchdowns in 2025. But with Brown and Doubs starting out wide and Douglas manning the slot, Boutte had more value to the Patriots as a trade chip than he did on the roster.

The Texans pounced, trading safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick to New England for the wideout. Houston had a major need at the position after Jayden Higgins tore his ACL.

"What I saw from Kayshon in New England; I saw a guy who's very competitive at the catch point, right?" Texans' head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters after the trade. "Very strong hands, contested catches. He's coming down with the ball nine times out of 10. So, I saw that in his play, and that really stood out to me."

Boutte is now the frontrunner to start out wide opposite Nico Collins, and he seemingly hit the ground running in Houston.

"Kayshon's done he's done a really nice job of just diving into the preparation," Ryans told reporters. "[Wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator Ben McDaniels] has been working with him since we were back in Carolina. So, he's been dialed in to his preparation, getting himself ready to go. He's out there running routes, lining, getting his plays done today. So he'll he'll be ready to go on game day."