Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte Fires Back at Sean Payton

We are now less than three days away from the New England Patriots–Denver Broncos AFC Championship.

A brief exchange of trash talk added some extra juice to the matchup on Thursday. 

It started when Sean Payton was speaking to reporters about the importance of crowd noise at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday. 

He told Broncos fans to get loud early because they’d have “plenty of rest after this one for two weeks.” 

While Payton framed it as encouragement for fans knowing the Super Bowl bye was coming, the comment was easy to interpret as confidence Denver would be moving on. 

That didn’t go unnoticed in New England. 

As NFL.com noted, Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte fired back when asked about Payton’s remarks

“They can rest in Cancun, too, at the end of the day,” Boutte said. 

The comment quickly went viral.

Boutte later clarified on social media that there was no ill intent behind his response.

“I was saying it’s obviously win or go home, so you’ll rest regardless,” Boutte wrote on X. 

Still, the exchange escalated just enough to grab headlines, especially after Denver star Pat Surtain II was asked for his thoughts.

“Who?” Surtain replied when asked about Boutte’s comments. 

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Sean Payton’s Comment

From Denver’s perspective, Payton’s comment wasn’t meant as bulletin-board material or to take a shot at the Patriots. 

Payton even followed up later with praise for the Patriots’ offensive structure.

He noted how much responsibility falls on the crowd to disrupt checks and audibles at the line of scrimmage. 

The Broncos coach was emphasizing how critical crowd noise is going to be on Sunday. 

It’s the kind of atmosphere Payton envisioned when he emphasized the importance of securing the No. 1 seed all season. 

The Broncos have won 13 of their last 14 games at Mile High, a remainder why Mile High is one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. 

Still, in a high-stakes postseason environment, even mild confidence can raise tensions.

Boutte will quickly become enemy No. 1 on Sunday in what’s expected to be a hostile Mile High crowd.

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Boutte Vs. Surtain Matchup 

While Boutte and Surtain continue to stir the pot off the field, their matchup on the field may be the most important one of the game. 

It involves one of the league’s hottest deep threats against arguably the NFL’s best cover corner.

Boutte has been the NFL’s most efficient deep threat in 2025:

He finished first in receiving grade (99.9), passer rating when targeted (152.6) and catch rate (70.6%). 

He is also tied for the league lead with six touchdowns on throws of 20+ yards, per PFF. 

He’s carried that production into the postseason, hauling in 141 yards and a touchdown without a single drop while posting a 155.8 passer rating when targeted.

Standing in his way is Pat Surtain II.

Surtain was last year’s Defensive Player of the Year and widely considered the best cornerback in football. 

Breaking down this matchup, Denver has aligned Surtain almost exclusively as a boundary corner over the past three games. 

This is a wrinkle New England is expected to test by aligning receivers to the boundary and hunting one-on-one looks. 

This could be a risky proposition after what Boutte did to Derek Stingley Jr. in the Patriots win over the Texans last week. 

The Patriots may also design plays that pull Surtain into the box. 

All of this scheming plays into the aggressive mindset of Drake Maye.

The second-year QB has been one of the league’s best deep-ball throwers in 2025. 

Maye ranks near the top of the NFL in completion rate on 20+ yard passes, total deep completions, and big-time throws.

When Maye pushes the ball downfield, Boutte has delivered all season. But on Sunday, he’ll be testing the league’s top cover corner on the biggest stage yet. 

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