Patriots rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk has a decision to make, and it could end up having a huge impact on his standing within the organization.
It’s time to step up, or ship out.
Polk has seen things deteriorate over the last two weeks, recording one total catch for four yards — bringing his total to 10 on 26 targets this season. New England saw things hit a new low in Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the rookie failed to record a single catch on three targets before leaving with a head injury midway through the fourth quarter.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo didn’t mince words when asked about the 22-year-old following the game.
“We need more from Polk,” Mayo said, per team-provided video. “We need more concentration. He’ll be a good player in this league, but he’s got to continue to work at it.”
Mayo said all of that before realizing his young wideout posted a cryptic message on Instagram just hours after the loss in London, which simply involved an emoji of a hand making the peace sign that you can find here.
Polk is a rookie, and rookies deserve some leeway on silly things like social media posts, but those are things that a bad football team just doesn’t need. It’s absurd to think he’d be “shipped out” for a thing like that, but there’s no doubt he could lose chances by distracting the team by doing something so selfish.
New England continuously tries to keep him involved, and does it because he’s one of its most talented players at the position. Mayo critiqued the rookie this week by claiming he needed to overcome a “mental hump,” and the response was patently ridiculous. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, on the other hand, spent part of his postgame press conference taking responsibility for his fellow rookie’s struggles and pledging to help him grow.
“I think JP is a great player,” Maye said. “He’s making plays. It’s a little slick out there, sometimes the ball is on the paint and there’s paint all over the ball. I think it’s just the field a little bit, but other than that, I’ve gotta find ways to get him the football early. I’ve gotta get him in the game early. I think that’ll help him feel involved. I’ve gotta make a better throw to him on the corner route on the first drive. Little things like that to get him involved because he’s a good player for us and we need him out there. It’s on me to get him going.”
The Patriots need more of that, not cryptic social media posts.
It’s up to Polk to decide whether he’s willing to make a change.
