The Patriots made the rare move of trading a player currently on injured reserve Saturday.
The team sent wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Saints for a 2027 sixth-rounder.
Head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the move Sunday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s pregame show.
“I just think it was a good start for him somewhere else,” Vrabel said. “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 ended last season with a shoulder injury. He suffered a shoulder injury again in the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Commanders and underwent season-ending surgery.
Polk finished his Patriots career with 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Only two players — QB Drake Maye and OL Caedan Wallace — from the Patriots’ 2024 NFL Draft class remain on the 53-man roster, and two more — CB Marcellas Dial and OL Layden Robinson — are on their injured reserve list.
