The New England Patriots reportedly agreed to trade second-year wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk to the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, New Orleans will receive Polk and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Polk, who was the No. 37 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, was placed on season-ending injured reserve last month due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero provided some further context on the deal, noting that the move saved the Patriots $2 million in guaranteed money.
There was some first-round hype surrounding Polk entering the 2024 NFL draft following a highly productive career at the University of Washington that saw him record 69 catches for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns in his final season with the Huskies.
Although he didn’t quite push himself into the first round, Polk was one of the first picks of the second round, and it was widely expected that he would make an impact as a rookie due to how thin New England’s receiving corps was.
Despite that, Polk finished with a mere 12 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games.
This past offseason, the Pats signed Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, and selected Kyle Williams in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, so it was unclear if Polk would have had much of a role even if he didn’t get injured.
For the Saints, the acquisition of Polk marks the second trade they have made in the past month for a wideout who was taken in the 2024 NFL draft.
On Aug. 20, New Orleans sent a 2026 fourth-round pick and 2027 seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Devaughn Vele, who was a seventh-round pick in 2024.
Unlike Polk, Vele was fairly productive as a rookie with 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns.
The Saints, who are 0-1 and expected to be among the worst teams in the NFL this season, have several wideouts under contract for next season now, including Chris Olave, Brandin Cooks, Bub Means, Trey Palmer, Vele and Polk.
Polk gives the Saints a lottery ticket of sorts in terms of a talented receiver who could potentially mesh with a rookie quarterback next season should New Orleans draft one early.
As for the Patriots, they did get a slight pick upgrade from trading Polk, but it was a poor return on investment given how high of a pick they used to draft him last year.
The decision to trade Polk means that both wide receivers taken by the Patriots in the 2024 draft—Polk and fourth-round pick Javon Baker—are no longer with the team.
