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Ja’Lynn Polk

Patriots Trade WR Ja’Lynn Polk To Saints

September 13th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Patriots are trading second-year wideout Ja’Lynn Polk and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints for a 2027 sixth-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Polk suffered a shoulder injury during the preseason and was placed on season-ending injured reserve during final roster cuts. He still won’t suit up this year, so New Orleans is betting on his ability to recover and live up to his draft billing in 2026 and beyond.

The Saints were interested in Polk during the 2024 draft, per Jeff Duncan and Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune, but he was taken by the Patriots at No. 37, four picks before New Orleans was on the clock. (The Saints ended up using their second-rounder on cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.)

The 23-year-old disappointed as a rookie, reeling in only 12 of his 37 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He was thought to be on the roster bubble entering training camp after New England revamped their receiver room this offseason. His shoulder surgery pre-empted a release, but the Patriots still found a way to move on when the Saints came calling.

Per OverTheCap, the Patriots trading Polk will leave $2.9MM in dead money, which can be spread across the team’s 2025 and 2026 salary caps. That assumes that the Saints pick up the entirety of his remaining salary, worth just under $5MM over the next three years. 2025 and 2026 are fully guaranteed, while $637k of Polk’s $2.11MM salary in 2027 is guaranteed.

In terms of both finances and draft capital, acquiring Polk is a low-cost move by the Saints, though it does not come without risk. The first two year of his NFL career have essentially been a wash, and he’ll be coming off shoulder surgery entering his third.

Polk is now the second receiver from the 2024 draft class that New Orleans has added in the last month. In August, they sent two Day 3 picks to the Broncos in exchange for former seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele. Neither move seems to be about upgrading their offense this year. Instead, they’re further indicators – along with the team’s plan to start Spencer Rattler for as long as possible – that the team has finally decided to undergo a rebuild, per Nick Underhill of New Orleans.Football.

The Patriots, meanwhile, have jettisoned yet another player from their 2024 draft class under new head coach Mike Vrabel. First-round quarterback Drake Maye and third-round offensive lineman Caedan Wallace are the only remaining selections on the roster, (h/t Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). While Maye seems to be the future of the team, Wallace spent part of his rookie year on IR and could only carve out a backup guard role entering this season.

Patriots Set 53-Man Roster

August 26th, 2025 at 6:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Mike Vrabel‘s first roster as Patriots head coach is taking shape. The team announced the following moves as they set their initial 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

In addition to cutting Strange, the organization also moved on from Demontrey Jacobs, who started 13 games for the Patriots last season. Elsewhere on the OL, it sounds like David Olajiga will land back on New England’s practice squad if he clears waivers, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.

Perhaps the most surprising moves were the cuts the Patriots didn’t make. Kyle Dugger will stick around despite days of trade speculation. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots did receive multiple trade offers for the safety, but his $9.75MM salary (and how much the Patriots would be forced to take on) was a hurdle during negotiations. Meanwhile, the Patriots are temporarily holding on to eight wide receivers, with players like Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker making the squad.

Patriots’ Ja’Lynn Polk To Miss 2025 Season

August 21st, 2025 at 11:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ja’Lynn Polk had been viewed as a candidate to miss final roster cuts with the Patriots this summer. The second-year wideout’s attention will now turn to matter of recovery, however.

Polk is set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. Multiple specialists were consulted before the decision was made to move forward with the procedure, he adds. Polk will now aim to return to full health in time for the 2026 campaign.

Selected in the second round of last year’s draft, Polk entered the league with high expectations based on his success at the college level. The Texas Tech product transferred to Washington in 2021 and enjoyed a strong finish to his career with the Huskies. His final season produced personal bests in catches (69), yards (1,159) and touchdowns (nine).

During his rookie campaign with New England, though, Polk made just 12 catches on 33 targets. The team’s offense as a whole struggled mightily last season, leading to a slew of changes over the past several months. With a new regime in place, Polk – along with fellow 2024 draftee Javon Baker – loomed as a cut candidate at the end of training camp. Given today’s news, he can simply be moved to injured reserve and retained through next year.

The Patriots are positioned to move forward with Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas as starters at the receiver spot. Rookie Kyle Williams and Kendrick Bourne (presuming the latter is not released next week) are also set to have a role in the passing game in 2025, while undrafted free agent Efton Chism has enjoyed a strong camp to the point where is expected to make the Week 1 roster. A decision will not need to be with respect to Polk anymore, but Baker’s status will be worth monitoring over the coming days.

By the time he is back to full strength in 2026, Polk will have two years remaining on his rookie contract. His Patriots future will presumably be unclear once again at that point, and a decision on retaining him or moving on will be impacted by the performance of New England’s other wideouts this season.

Patriots WRs Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker Facing Uphill Battle To Make Roster

August 3rd, 2025 at 10:09am CST by Rory Parks

2024 draftees Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker failed to make much of an impact in their first professional season. The Patriots’ second-year wideouts are now working under a brand new coaching staff, and they could be facing an uphill battle to make the club’s 53-man roster (indeed, it was reported back in June that Polk could be on the bubble). 

ESPN’s Mike Reiss expects New England to carry six wideouts on the opening day roster, and after the first few days of training camp, Reiss noted that Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas were running with the starters. Meanwhile, Kyle Williams, Kendrick Bourne – himself a potential cut candidate – and UDFA rookie Efton Chism III were taking second-team reps. Polk and Baker, on the other hand, were “not on the current radar” and had essentially “faded from view.”

At the time, free agent addition Mack Hollins was still on the active/PUP list. Since then, the Pats have activated Hollins, and in an updated look at the club’s WR situation, Reiss describes Diggs, Boutte, Douglas, and Hollins as the top four players on the depth chart, with Williams – who has flashed in recent days after something of a “dry spell” – slotting in behind them.

Williams is a third-round rookie, so his place on the team is almost certainly secure despite natural growing pains. Diggs, New England’s marquee free agent acquisition, was always expected to lead the way, and 2023 draftees Douglas and Boutte have shown promise as complementary options. Hollins offers a big-bodied target for QB Drake Maye, and his two-year, $8.4MM contract indicated his roster spot was never in doubt either.

It is telling that, prior to Hollins’ return, an undrafted rookie was seeing more reps than Polk and Baker. Per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Chism’s spring momentum has not carried over into training camp, and Reiss made note of a Chism drop in a recent practice. Still, given the sheer volume of players in the wide receiver room, it may take an injury and/or the release of a player like Bourne for Polk and Baker to remain in Foxborough.

Further complicating the issue for Polk was a hamstring injury that caused him to miss practice time. He is back on the field, and head coach Mike Vrabel said the second-year pro is “a player that worked extremely hard to get back and ready to go … there’s been some positive things that he’s done since he’s been back” (via Mike Kadlick of CLNS Media). Vrabel went on to say that Polk has not made any mental errors despite his absence.

Polk, a second-round selection last year, may be more likely than Baker, a fourth-rounder, to make the team based on upside alone. According to Kyed, Polk may also have an in as a slot receiver, since the Pats’ depth in the slot is thinner than it is outside the numbers.

Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk On Roster Bubble?

June 12th, 2025 at 9:22pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots are facing a roster crunch at wide receiver, and there’s a chance they may move on from a recent second-round pick as they resolve their depth. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes, Ja’Lynn Polk is among the players competing for a final spot in the receivers room.

Reiss believes that each of the team’s offseason acquisitions, a grouping that includes Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and rookie third-round pick Kyle Williams, are “viewed as safe,” and the writer also includes holdover DeMario Douglas in that grouping. Assuming the team will only hold six WRs, that leaves two more spots for at least four players.

In addition to Polk, the players fighting for a roster spot include Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, and 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker. Bourne brings the track record, and Boutte flashed some potential as a sophomore, but Polk’s recent draft pedigree may make him the most surprising inclusion on this list.

A former Washington standout, Polk was the 37th-overall pick in last year’s draft. Thanks in part to inconsistent QB play and an ever-evolving receivers room, the rookie struggled to carve out a role in 2024. Polk finished the campaign with 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and he ranked seventh on the team in total targets.

The Patriots are expecting another leap from Drake Maye in 2025, and it would make some sense to pair the young signal-caller with a young, high-upside receiver. However, with additional depth and a new coaching staff in place, Polk might not have that opportunity in New England.

Sticking with Patriots receivers, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston revealed that Diggs still hasn’t taken a physical with the organization as he continues to rehab his torn ACL (via The Rich Eisen Show on YouTube). As a result, the wide receiver also hasn’t received his signing bonus, which is dependent on the player passing the physical.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/25

January 4th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The last minor moves and standard gameday elevations of the 2024 NFL regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Ross’ new deal to the Texans’ 53-man roster is good through the 2025 season, as well. Ditto for Jones, signed to the active roster in New England today.

Sanders returned to practice this week, and his activation will allow him to close out his second Panthers season on the field rather than on the mend. His Carolina tenure has fallen well short of expectations and a release in the near future could be in the cards. Given the team’s backfield injuries, though, Sanders could handle a notable workload tomorrow while potentially auditioning for free agent suitors.

Gilman’s return will be welcomed by the Chargers’ defense. The 27-year-old has remained a full-time starter this season, his second straight handling first-team duties. Los Angeles is assured of a wild-card spot, but moving up to the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture could be possible on Sunday. In any case, Gilman’s presence will be key for a Bolts defense which leads the league in points allowed per game (17.6).

Gardner’s campaign will come to an end after 15 games played. He fell short of a Pro Bowl nod for this first time in his young career, but the fourth pick of the 2022 draft remained a critical member of the team’s secondary when healthy. Gardner is eligible for an extension this offseason, and his financial future (which will include a fifth-year option decision in the spring) will be a key point of focus once New York’s head coach/general manager tandem is in place.

WR Notes: Texans, Patriots, Eagles, Cardinals

July 8th, 2024 at 9:01pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s easy to be excited about the Texans wide receiver corps in 2024. After Tank Dell and Nico Collins established a connection with C.J. Stroud in 2023, the organization added another major name in Stefon Diggs. With the Texans hoping to take a major step forward in 2024, the team can now boast that they’re armed with one of the best WR trios in the NFL.

One of the other players on the depth chart, Steven Sims, has gotten a first-hand look at his talented teammates, and he believes Houston’s wideouts are ready for some big plays during the upcoming campaign.

“We’ve got a great group,” Sims told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. “I can’t wait to get back to camp. It’s going to be so much fun. I feel like there’s going to be a lot of big plays, a lot of fun, but it’s a business and it’s work. It’s time to get back to work and I’m excited to go back to work with the group we’ve got I feel like from top to bottom everybody can get it done.”

Sims re-signed with the Texans this offseason after getting into three games with the team in 2023. He’ll be competing with the likes of John Metchie III and Ben Skowronek for reps behind the team’s top-three WRs.

More wideout notes from around the NFL…

  • Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston explores some of the Patriots wideout scenarios for the 2024 campaign, including the best-case scenario (which sees rookie Ja’Lynn Polk and second-year wideout DeMario Douglas break out) and the worst-case scenario (the team’s over-reliance on veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne). Curran believes the most-likely scenario is a bit of both, with the organization allowing the young players to show their stuff, especially as Bourne works his way back from a torn ACL. Curran says the team’s main wildcard at the position is free agent acquisition K.J. Osborn, who has already developed chemistry with presumed starting QB Jacoby Brissett.
  • Joseph Ngata spent the majority of his rookie campaign on Philly’s practice squad, and Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia believes the former UDFA is set to make the Eagles 53-man roster in 2024. As Zangaro notes, Ngata got some first-team reps during the spring,and he’s clearly ahead of some of the team’s other young wideouts. Parris Campbell is the likeliest of Philly’s non-star WRs to emerge, but Ngata should have an upper hand on fifth-round rookie Ainias Smith and sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson.
  • Jess Root of Cards Wire notes that Cardinals undrafted rookie WR Xavier Weaver is likely to stick with the organization by virtue of his contract. The Colorado product got $225K in guaranteed money from Arizona, the equivalent to 18 weeks of practice squad salary. If the rookie is eventually waived, it’s unlikely a cash-strapped suitor would willingly add him to their 53-man roster. With four WR spots locked up in Arizona (Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, and Zay Jones), Weaver will be hard pressed to earn a regular roster gig, but the Cardinals’ financial commitment shows they plan to keep the WR around their practice squad for the 2024 campaign.

Patriots Sign Round 2 WR Ja’Lynn Polk, Complete Rookie Deals

June 14th, 2024 at 8:51am CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have signed receiver Ja’Lynn Polk to his rookie deal, per a team announcement. As a result, each member of the team’s draft class has been signed ahead of the break leading up to training camp. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 adds this pact includes a $3.87MM signing bonus.

To no surprise, New England used the No. 3 pick to add a potential franchise quarterback. Drake Maye is in line to handle starting duties at some point relatively soon, but the caliber of the pass-catching options around him has drawn questions. Free agency saw the Patriots pursue Calvin Ridley, but the team’s most notable addition was K.J. Osborn.

The former Viking will be joined by veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne in New England’s receiver corps. That unit also features recent draftees Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas, and Polk will look to carve out an early role. The latter began his college career at Texas Tech before transferring to Washington in 2021. He had a limited impact during his first Huskies season, but his production jumped considerably after that.

In 2022, Polk posted a 41-694-6 statline, establishing himself as an impactful member of the team’s deep receiver room. That continued this past season while he played alongside Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan as the Huskies went to the national title game. Polk recorded 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns on 69 catches, proving himself to be a sure-handed option in the intermediate game in particular. The 6-1, 203-pounder came off the board early on Day 2, joining Odunze (first round, Bears) and McMillan (third round, Buccaneers) as Washington products who will face high expectations upon entry into the NFL.

New England struggled in a number of offensive categories last year, ranking 28th in passing yards. The addition of Polk and fellow rookie Javon Baker could give the team new options in an offense which has seen a number of moves made on the field and the sidelines this offseason as all parties aim to take a needed step forward in 2024.

Here is a full breakdown of the Patriots’ draft class:

Patriots Targeted WR Xavier Legette

May 8th, 2024 at 5:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Bills exited the first round more closely tied to Xavier Legette, the South Carolina wide receiver prospect evidently did not meet the value of the No. 32 draft slot for the defending AFC East champions. But a division rival was in on the size-speed weapon.

After the Bills moved down from No. 28 to No. 32, leading to the Chiefs selecting Xavier Worthy, Buffalo received multiple offers for the final pick of Round 1. The Panthers ended up winning out, obtaining No. 32 in exchange for Nos. 33 and 141, the Patriots also sent their twice-a-year opponents an offer for the pick. Legette was indeed the Pats’ target, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.

[RELATED: Patriots Rejected Giants, Vikings’ Offers For No. 3]

Brian Thomas Jr. went off the board to the Jaguars at No. 23; that pick set up the second run on receivers. After the Chiefs chose Worthy, five wideouts went off the board between Nos. 31 and 37. The Patriots had hoped to move toward the front of this wave, but after Legette went off the board, they stepped back by moving from No. 34 to 37 (via the Chargers, who sent the Pats No. 110 in the swap). Three picks after the Bolts’ Ladd McConkey choice, the Pats ended up with their WR hopeful — Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk.

Of the six WRs chosen between 28 and 37 (Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Legette, Keon Coleman, McConkey, Polk), only one — Pearsall — did not involve a trade. This run of position jockeying will be interesting to revisit down the line, as teams will attempt to develop their chosen WRs.

Legette will join 2023 second-round wideout Jonathan Mingo in Carolina, with the Panthers using two picks in the 30s — Mingo went 39th last year — to supplement veterans Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson. Thielen’s contract pays out its remaining guarantees this year, while Johnson’s Steelers extension expires after the season. Johnson and Legette certainly represent an upgrade from what Carolina gave Bryce Young in his rookie season.

The Patriots made an aggressive pursuit of Calvin Ridley, but after the Titans’ four-year, $96MM offer won out, Drake Maye will be developing alongside Polk. Legette, who made “30” visits to meet with the Panthers and Bills, pairs a 4.39-second 40-yard dash time with a 227-pound frame. Lauded for his blocking ability, Legette made a remarkable transformation. After never breaking the 200-yard barrier in four seasons with the Gamecocks, he broke through for 1,255 (17.7 per catch) and seven TDs in 2023.

ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted Legette 28th overall in this class and ranked Polk 60th. The Pats ranked Polk in their top six or seven, per Fowler; it just appears Legette came in a bit higher on that list.

Working opposite Rome Odunze in a Washington offense that saw three wideouts drafted in the first three rounds, Polk produced 694 yards and six TDs in Michael Penix Jr.‘s first Huskies season and then went 69-1,159-9 in 2023. The Pats, who certainly experienced issues developing highly drafted WRs during Bill Belichick‘s run, will attempt to groom Polk alongside the likes of Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas and free agency addition K.J. Osborn.