Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte has big aspirations for offseason after Super Bowl

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on Jan 31, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Kayshon Boutte is studying how to attack the vaunted Seahawks defense in the Super Bowl, but the Patriots receiver says he also has big aspirations for the offseason after he documented how he overcame a gambling addiction.

Boutte says he has his eyes on creating a foundation focused on helping people who are battling gambling addiction, a health issue that the third-year Patriot admits prompted him to lose $90,000 on bets and live “paycheck to paycheck” while in college.

The New England community has rallied around Boutte after the receiver admitted the challenges he endured amid his addiction, sparked by an injury he suffered during a promising sophomore season at LSU following a standout freshman campaign.

Boutte chronicled his challenges in a personal essay published just days before the Patriots started their playoff run in early January. Gambling addiction experts have credited the wide receiver for changing lives.

In the essay for The Players’ Tribune, titled “How The Hell Did I Get Here???,” Boutte wrote about how he considers himself a changed man after overcoming his addiction. He says recovering from his ankle injury to play football again and becoming a father, as a junior in college, are the “only two things” that saved him.

Though the Patriots will head to Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday for a full week of Super Bowl preparation, it’s clear that Boutte remains touched by the support he has received from fans and the greater community after the essay came out.

“A lot of people reached out to me, said that they’ve been through the same things,” Boutte told the Boston Herald on Friday. “I know how they feel. I’ve been through it. They kind of asked me how I got through it, and I said it was either football or that for me.”

Boutte recounted how the Players’ Tribune reached out to him, wanting to collaborate. He said it was the first time he ever sat with somebody to talk about everything he went through, and he decided to write the essay, though it wasn’t easy.

In January 2024, after his first season, Boutte was arrested on underage gambling and fraud charges for betting while at LSU. Louisiana officials dropped the charges in July 2024 after the receiver completed a gambling awareness program and executed self-ban agreements in Massachusetts and with several sportsbook companies.

“I think a lot of people don’t really have something higher from where they’re at right now,” he told the Herald, “so they feel like they’re stuck at that same loop, that they feel down, and that the only way to get it back is through gambling.”

Boutte has emerged as a top downfield target for QB Drake Maye. The 23-year-old has recorded one of the most memorable plays of the Patriots’ postseason, catching a 32-yard, one-handed touchdown in the 28-16 divisional-round win over Houston.

In his essay, Boutte wrote that he owes “everything” to the Patriots organization for trusting him to grow. Helping New England to an impressive 14-3 turnaround, the LSU product broke out in the regular season with 33 catches, 551 yards and six touchdowns.

Boutte stopped by DICKS’ House of Sport in Boston Friday night, signing autographs and meeting hundreds of fans. It marked his second trip to the store in as many months. The receiver hosted a surprise holiday shopping spree in December.

Roland Hegedus, 19, of Boston, called it crazy to meet Boutte and said that he respects how the Patriot opened up about how he overcame the gambling addiction.

“It’s important because a lot of the time, people really don’t like admitting that stuff,” Hegedus told the Herald. “Facing the actions of your past, you become a better person as a whole.”

Boston resident Eddie Tigges, who brought his son Nicholas to meet Boutte with a group of friends, added, “It shows to fans, especially young fans, that even if you have issues, you can still overcome them and what you make of it later on in life.”