Gambling charges against Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte dropped

After a lackluster couple of seasons, it appears competition on the New England Patriots wide receiver depth chart is heating up this summer. As for a second-year receiver recently involved in a criminal case not being involved? Well, don’t bet against him now.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the state of Louisiana has dropped charges of underage gambling and computer fraud against Kayshon Boutte. Boutte, drafted in the sixth round by the Pats in 2023 out of LSU, played sparingly in his rookie season, making his mark unfortunately for not getting his feet down on a late game catch against the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener at Gillette Stadium.

After that, his season was mostly filled with injury and inactive designations and his profile low until he made the news again this past January for being arrested under charges of illegal underage gambling while at college. An investigation found that Boutte had been betting for over a year's time while at school, just past when he was drafted by the Pats. He placed over 8,900 wagers in that time.

Boutte, a standout at times at LSU, was a hot button name for Pats fans hoping to see someone break out of the Pats WR room the way Boutte did at times in his injury-riddled collegiate career, like when he went off for 308 yards in a game in his freshman year, or his standout performance in the 2022 SEC championship against Georgia .

Now with charges dropped in Louisiana, Boutte can get back to football in time for Pats training camp to open next week. The team will wait to hear from the NFL as to whether they will discipline him further, even though the allegations and charges were from his collegiate days. Pats coach Jerod Mayo had said he would “wait to hear from the league” as to Boutte’s status and availability. That is still true for his 2024 availability, but for the moment he’ll be available and a participant in camp starting next Wednesday, a good sign for him, the wide receiver competition and the offense overall following his excellent mini-camps and OTAs in Foxboro this spring.