The Patriots recently traded receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Texans. After New England’s preseason finale against the Browns, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was asked about the decision to move on from the 2023 sixth-round pick.
“That was one place where we do have some depth,” Vrabel told reporters. “I think for all parties involved, that was probably the best thing without injuries, you know? OK, sure, he probably would have been inactive, unfortunately, because it’s kind of the way it was. It’s just him not playing special teams.”
It really does become a numbers game. The deeper a receiver slides on the depth chart, the less he’ll play offense. And the more of a role he’ll have on special teams.
As Vrabel said, Boutte wouldn’t have been playing special teams. So they needed to move on.
“I tried to thank Kayshon as many times as I could,” Vrabel said. “Just his maturity, his growth. His ability to put into words last year and share his own personal struggle, but also the growth that he made from that, that is positively going to affect a lot of people. I know that that wasn’t easy for him to do, and I tell him all the time about how much I respect him.”
Vrabel was referring to Boutte’s willingness to go public with his gambling addiction from his time at LSU. And Vrabel is right; Boutte’s candor will indeed help others who are dealing with the same issue.
Patriots Clips
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez expressed frustration at the pace of contract talks earlier this week, and the sides don’t appear close on an extension.
After the Patriots’ 37-13 loss to the Browns in the preseason finale, coach Mike Vrabel was asked about Gonzalez’s frustration with negotiations.
“I have conversations with Christian, and I understand that this is probably something that’s difficult,” Vrabel said, via Sophie Weller of Patriots Wire. “I’ve never been in that position to this extent. Try to treat it with class, but he and I communicate, and our players are always free to feel how they feel. They just have to stay patient and just hope that we can work to some kind of agreement.”
The Seahawks recently signed cornerback Devon Witherspoon to a four-year, $132 million deal, which should provide a template for the Patriots. Gonzalez and Witherspoon have the same agent, Reggie Johnson.
Gonzalez is under contract for the next two seasons and is scheduled to make a base salary of $2.259 million this season.
The 17th overall pick in 2023, he made second-team All-Pro in 2024 and the Pro Bowl in 2025. He has totaled 145 tackles, two interceptions, 24 pass breakups and a sack in three seasons.
Devon Witherspoon’s contract extension with the Seahawks has not closed the gap between the Patriots and cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
The Patriots do not appear willing to go to the benchmark four-year, $132 million deal established by Witherspoon, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
“The Patriots haven’t gone there,” Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show. “They weren’t there before, and they don’t appear to be going there right now.”
Witherspoon and Gonzalez share the same agency, the Win Sports Group, so it’s unlikely the Patriots will sign Gonzalez to an extension without matching the deal the Seahawks corner received.
This week, Gonzalez expressed frustration with contract talks.
The season begins Sept. 9 with the Patriots and Gonzalez opposite the Seahawks and Witherspoon.
Gonzalez is scheduled to make a base salary of $2.259 million this season.
The 17th overall pick in 2023, he made second-team All-Pro in 2024 and the Pro Bowl in 2025. He has totaled 145 tackles, two interceptions, 24 pass breakups and a sack in three seasons.
As should-be Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick prepares for his second season in college with an opening game in Ireland, he was asked if he ever sees himself returning to the NFL.
“I’m focused on UNC right now absolutely,” Belichick said, via Brian Murphy of WRAL. “I’ve recruited these kids, two years with them, been with these guys. I want to help them. I had a great experience in the NFL, but I’m very happy at North Carolina. I’m excited to be there. Excited about the future of our program.”
The reality is that Belichick won’t have a chance to return to the NFL unless someone wants him. Through three hiring cycles since the Patriots fired Belichick, he has had one interview.
This year, with 10 openings, his name never came up. Last year, the Raiders and Tom Brady hired Pete Carroll without taking a serious look at Belichick.
It’s difficult if not impossible to imagine Belichick back in the NFL. No fan base is clamoring for him. No front office will want to work with him. No owner will become smitten with the notion that he’ll turn an also-ran into a champion.
The bigger question is whether he’ll unlock a third season at North Carolina. If this season goes like last season for UNC, he may be SOL in 2027.
The Colts signed free agent cornerback Kenneth Harris, the team announced Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, the Colts waived cornerback Mekhi Blackmon.
Harris participated in the Patriots’ offseason program and training camp until earlier this week, when they waived him. He signed with New England as an undrafted free agent.
Harris appeared in 59 career games with 29 starts at Oklahoma State (2023-25) and Arkansas State (2020-22). He compiled 113 tackles, 61.5 tackles for loss, one sack, 28 passes defensed and three interceptions.
Blackmon was acquired via trade with the Vikings almost exactly one year ago today. He has played 32 career games, with 14 starts, with the Colts (2025) and Vikings (2023-24). He has registered 105 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, 15 passes defensed, three interceptions and one fumble recovery.
When the Patriots traded Kayshon Boutte to the Texans this week, much of the focus was on the Texans’ need for a wideout and New England’s increased depth at receiver.
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf had a different view when asked about the deal at a Tuesday press conference. Wolf acknowledged that the team feels “really good about our receiver group,” but focused on the opportunity to acquire safety Jaylen Reed after liking what they saw from him heading into the 2025 draft.
“Jaylen was a guy that we identified in the draft process as someone that we might pick, and he ended up going before we could take him,” Wolf said, via a transcript from the team. “We followed his career last year with Houston and thought it was pretty remarkable that, as a rookie who hadn’t played much during the regular season, they trusted him enough to play the majority of the playoff games. We just continued to follow him, and when we determined that he might be available, he was someone that we wanted to acquire.”
Wolf said that there is “no concern” about trading Boutte to a team that they could be competing with for a playoff spot in the AFC and a full accounting of the trade will likely wait until we find out how the two teams wind up stacking up come the end of the season.
As the regular season approaches, the Patriots and cornerback Christian Gonzalez still don’t have a new contract in place. And Gonzalez is feeling the burden of the negotiations.
“I mean, it’s frustrating,” Gonzalez told reporters on Tuesday, via Michael Hurley of NBC Sports Boston. “But I mean it’s -- I’m focused on the season. I’m focused on here now and doing what I gotta do, and I’m out here to compete and get better.”
Gonzalez also sidestepped the chatter that his recent absence from practice related to his contract talks, which will only reinforce the perception that it was contract related.
“Yeah, you know, I’m not going to get into that,” Gonzalez said. “I’m out here now, so it is what it is. . . . Everything we do is speculating, at the end of the day. I could say something and then it’s still gonna be speculated, so I mean, it is what it is.”
Gonzalez didn’t get into the specifics as to what he wants in a new deal.
“There’s certain things that go into a contract that my team knows what we want, so it kind of depends how you put it,” Gonzalez said.
The reality is that the contract signed 10 days ago by Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, which pushed the new-money bar for the position to $33 million per year, should provide the template for Gonzalez’s deal. The fact that the Gonzalez deal still isn’t done shows that it’s not nearly that simple.
Either way, Gonzalez is under contract for two more years. And the real question is whether Gonzalez, who is back at practice, will step away again as Week 1 approaches.
And, frankly, he should. Tuesday’s news regarding CTE underscores the risks of playing football at a high level. All players should do whatever they can to get whatever they deserve. If they don’t get it, they shouldn’t play.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez returned to the practice field on Monday, but there hasn’t been any sign that a contract extension with the team is imminent.
Gonzalez had not practiced for a couple of weeks due to what the team said was an injury, but others wondered if the ongoing negotiations on an extension played a role in the decision. At a Tuesday press conference, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said there’s “nothing new” to report on the contract front and that the two sides are “continuing to work with his representation to find a resolution that works for everyone.”
Wolf also said that neither side has set Week 1 of the regular season as a deadline to wrap up an agreement, but declined to say if he’s confident that they’ll come to an agreement.
“I’m confident we’re continuing to work on it, and we’re positive that we’re making momentum,” Wolf said, via a transcript from the team.
The agreement that Devon Witherspoon reached with the Seahawks earlier this month was seen as a potential stepping stone toward a deal between the Patriots and Gonzalez, but it hasn’t played out that way and the clock is ticking for something to get done before the two corners are on opposite sides of the field on September 9.
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson slipped on the turf at practice on Monday and he’s getting checked out by doctors on Tuesday.
Christopher Price of the Boston Globe reports that Henderson is having “precautionary tests” done after hurting his ankle. Price adds that Henderson is walking and moving fine, so the hope is that the tests won’t show anything that creates further concern.
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf confirmed that Henderson is being checked out and said that he will not practice on Tuesday.
The Patriots wrap up their preseason on Thursday night against the Browns and Henderson was not expected to play in that game prior to the ankle issue, so there probably won’t be any change in the team’s plans to get Henderson ready to go for Week 1.
The Patriots signed first-year offensive lineman Jack Conley and veteran punter Matt Haack, the team announced Monday.
In corresponding moves, the Patriots released rookie cornerback Kenneth Harris and rookie wide receiver Kobe Prentice.
Conley, 25, entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with New England on May 9, 2025, out of Boston College. He had two brief stints on the Patriots’ practice squad last year.
He also spent time on the Detroit and Cleveland practice squads during the 2025 season. Conley went to training camp with Cleveland this past summer, but the Browns released him on Aug. 18.
Haack, 32, entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Dolphins out of Arizona State in 2017. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Dolphins (2017-20). He has also played for the Bills (2021), Colts (2022), Browns (2023), Giants (2024) and Cardinals (2025).
Haack has also spent time with the Jaguars and the Broncos. He went to training camp with the Commanders this summer but was released on Aug. 18.
Haack has appeared in 110 NFL games and has 478 punts for 21,513 yards and a 45.0-yard average.
Harris, 24, was signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Oklahoma State on May 8.
Prentice, 22, was claimed off waivers by New England on July 25. He signed with the Panthers as a rookie free agent on May 7.
