Yahoo Sports NFL on Ja'Lynn Polk

Polk retires at 24 after shoulder surgery; least productive 2nd-round WR since 2011.

Polk, a 2024 second-round pick by the Patriots, caught just 12 passes on 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie in 2024, then missed the entire 2025 season following shoulder surgery. Traded to the Saints in a day-three pick swap while on injured reserve, Polk has now retired from the NFL at age 24, ending his career before the 2026 season. He retires as the least productive receiver drafted in the second round since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, with 87 career receiving yards—easily trailing the second least productive second-round receiver, Dee Eskridge, who had 228 yards.

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