Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Addresses Surprising Ja’Lynn Polk Trade

The New England Patriots made a relatively surprising move on Saturday.

New England threw in the towel and traded wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk to the New Orleans Saints, giving up on the former second-round pick just a few months into his second season with the organization.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed his club’s decision to trade the recent selection for what essentially amounts to a late-round pick swap:

“I just think it was a good start for him somewhere else,” Vrabel told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Scott Zolak during the station’s pregame show on Sunday. “We wish him the best. He worked extremely hard to get back and then was reinjured. We were going to be without Ja’Lynn this year anyways, and we felt like what was best was to kind of give him a fresh start.”

Polk was placed on season-ending injured reserve in August.

The Patriots’ rich history of botched early-round picks at wide receiver has reached new heights, with Polk joining the likes of Tyquan Thornton, N’Keal Harry, Aaron Dobson and Chad Jackson. Kyle Williams, a third-round pick in 2025, will hope to avoid becoming the next name added to the list…