The New Orleans Saints’ plans for Ja’Lynn Polk never got off the ground.
On Sunday afternoon, the team placed the receiver on the reserve/retired list, which means Polk has retired from football at 24. The reason for his decision has not been disclosed.
That’s a sudden turn for a player the Saints had been eager to see in camp. Coming into training camp, multiple people in the organization were looking forward to finding out what Polk could do with a second chance. Instead, New Orleans lost him before the evaluation really began.
Polk arrived in New Orleans with some intrigue after a rough start to his NFL career. The former second-round pick from Washington had a difficult 2024 rookie season with the New England Patriots, finishing with 12 catches on 33 targets for 87 yards. He then dealt with a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery before the 2025 season started.
The Saints took a swing on him last fall, landing him from New England for a late-round pick swap after liking him in the draft. Internally, there was belief that he could still become something more than what he showed in his first year with the Patriots. That optimism extended into this offseason, when Polk drew praise for the work he put in.
“I feel like I’m supposed to be here,” Polk said earlier this summer. “For them … bringing me in here and having that trust of seeing the player I’m capable of being, it speaks a lot. I just want to go out there each and every day and show them they made the right decision of bringing me in here.”
Polk had been away from training camp for the last two days, with the Saints describing it as an excused absence for personal reasons.
His departure leaves another hole in a receiver group New Orleans had already been reshaping. Polk was one of three wideouts the Saints brought in shortly before last season, alongside Devaughn Vele and Trey Palmer. Then the team added three more receivers in the 2026 NFL draft, including No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson.
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