The summer days are only getting hotter, and in two weeks time, the Kansas City Chiefs will head up to St. Joseph, Missouri, and have to endure the grind throughout what is expected to be another grueling Andy Reid-led training camp. Weeks have passed, however, and KC has yet to fill an obvious need at wide receiver.
Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, at least from the internal Chiefs' perspective, are expected to both have healthy, breakout seasons in which the duo carries the passing offense. Tyquan Thornton was given a two-year contract in hopes of his continued career rejuvenation. And young guys Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen hope to buck the trend of being yet another victim of the day-three draft pedigree.
If all works out as Reid and Brett Veach hope, then great. The Chiefs, along with an improved run game on the back of Kenneth Walker III, and a healthy offensive line season, should put up numbers more in line with the early Patrick Mahomes-era Chiefs teams.
But putting all your eggs in the what-ifs basket rarely works out in the NFL. Which is why New England Patriots pass-catcher Kayshon Boutte remains the perfect fix to the Chiefs' depth questions at the position.
Why Kayshon Boutte is the ideal wide receiver trade target for the Chiefs
In a recent piece by Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, he linked Boutte as a trade target for another wide receiver-needy team, the Washington Commanders. More importantly, however, was the draft capital Moton believed the Patriots would be comfortable receiving to let Boutte go. A single fifth-round pick.
"Boutte has shown the ability to stretch the field, averaging 16.7 yards per catch last season," Moton wrote. "But the Patriots signed Romeo Doubs and acquired A.J. Brown from the Eagles, which leaves fewer targets to go around for the receiver group."
This should be music to the Chiefs' ears. Once an unheralded sixth-round pick in 2023, Boutte has flourished of late. Over the past two seasons, the former LSU product has totaled 1,140 yards on 76 catches and nine touchdowns. Of those 76 grabs, 52 of them have gone for first downs, proving he's both a big-play threat and a chain-mover.
At just 24-years old, Boutte enters the last year of his rookie contract, in which, if traded, the Chiefs would acquire his base salary at a $3.67 million cap hit. As of right now, they have just enough space to make that move work, according to Spotrac. Veach also has other avenues to easily create room if needed, with a potential Creed Humphrey extension or a Kristian Fulton trade/cut.
Kansas City cannot go into the 2026 campaign with such uncertainty at receiver and risk the offense failing to perform to capacity for a fourth regular season in a row. All they need is another quality option that Mahomes can trust. For a fifth-round pick, the decision to acquire Kayshon Boutte is clear.
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