Patriots
The Patriots will receive a 2027 sixth-round pick in the deal.
Another player from the Patriots’ 2024 draft class is out of Foxborough.
The Patriots have traded wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk to the Saints, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported Saturday. New England will reportedly receive a 2027 sixth-round pick in the deal, but will also give up a 2028 seventh-round selection.
Polk struggled to produce as a rookie after the Patriots took him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft (No. 37 overall). He only had 12 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns last season, making a handful of costly drops and miscues throughout the 2024 campaign.
On top of the poor performance, Polk seemingly made things more complicated for himself with some of the comments he made throughout the season. He proclaimed that he had the best hands in the league at one point last season. After Jerod Mayo called Polk out following the Patriots’ loss to the Jaguars, Polk made a cryptic social media post that some interpreted as him wanting to leave the team.
Polk ultimately remained with the team through the offseason, but he was believed to be a cut candidate entering training camp. He wound up suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason opener, though, and was placed on injured reserve shortly after, ending his 2025 season.
While Polk wouldn’t have contributed to the Patriots in 2025, the team could’ve kept him for the 2026 season. He still has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract. However, the Patriots have six receivers under contract for next season already, and Polk was already lagging behind the wide receivers who made the roster this year.
With Saturday’s trade, only two players from the Patriots’ 2024 draft class remain. Drake Maye, who the team took with the third overall pick, isn’t going anywhere, but third-round pick Caedan Wallace was on the roster bubble ahead of cutdown day. Wallace was a healthy scratch for the Patriots’ regular-season opener against the Raiders.
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