New England Patriots
Polk played just one full season in the NFL with the Patriots in 2024.
Ja’Lynn Polk only played one full season in New England. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe
August 2, 2026 | 6:40 PM
2 minutes to read
One of the top Patriots draft whiffs in franchise history is walking away from the NFL after just two seasons in the league.
Wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk — who was drafted by New England with the 37th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — was placed on the reserve/retired list by the Saints on Sunday, ahead of what would have been his first healthy season in New Orleans.
The Saints have placed WR Ja’Lynn Polk on the reserve/retired list.
The 2024 second-round pick is stepping away from the NFL at 24 years old. pic.twitter.com/Prhs9GDuZs
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 2, 2026
Polk, who had an impressive collegiate career at the University of Washington, was expected to become a key cog in New England’s revamped offense alongside a promising young QB selected third overall in the same 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye.
But, while Maye showed promise as a starter near the tail end of the 2024 season, Polk struggled to find traction in what would be his only season in Foxborough. Polk appeared in 15 total games during New England’s disastrous 2024 campaign, recording 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
Polk’s struggles were further exacerbated by a few ill-advised comments during his rookie season, with the wideout claiming he had the “best hands in the league” despite getting knocked for several drops during the season.
After then-head coach Jerod Mayo called Polk out following a loss to the Jaguars that season, Polk made a cryptic social media post that some interpreted as an indication that he wanted to leave the team.
Polk ultimately remained on the team and had a clean slate going into the 2025 season, only to suffer a shoulder injury in New England’s preseason opener that ended his second season before it could even begin.
New England later traded Polk to the Saints in a pick swap in September 2025, with the Patriots receiving a 2027 sixth-round pick and giving up a 2028 seventh-round selection along with Polk.
Polk didn’t play a game with the Saints last season due to injury, but was a regular participant during offseason workouts and minicamp for New Orleans as he tried to carve out a starting role once again.
Despite being accounted for at the start of New Orleans’ training camp, Luke Johnson of NOLA.com reported that Polk missed the last two days of practice with what the Saints deemed as an “excused absence for personal reasons.”
Polk stands as one of the larger draft busts in recent Patriots history, especially when factoring in some of the other talented wideouts available around where New England selected him in the 2024 NFL Draft.
New England originally had the No. 34 pick in the 2024 draft, but they traded it to the Chargers and moved down three spots. At No. 34, the Chargers took wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who reeled in 82 catches for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie year with Los Angeles in 2024.
Drafting wideouts has been a franchise flaw for New England over the years, with several high draft picks like Polk, 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, and 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry all failing to finish out their rookie contracts with the Patriots.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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