Patriots Exec Drops Sobering Take on Rookie WR

New England Patriots executive Eliot Wolf has dropped a rather sobering take on this rookie wide receiver.

Dec 1, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (1) walks out of the player's tunnel before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots entered the 2024 NFL campaign hoping that their receiving corps would be good enough to provide adequate weapons for rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

First-year wide receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker were supposed to be a significant part of that, but that did not occur.

Polk and Baker were both very disappointing, especially in the case of the former, who was an early second-round draft pick.

Now, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf realizes that it was probably a mistake to rely so heavily on rookie pass-catchers heading into the season.

"The rookie receivers didn’t have it really that much for us," Wolf said, via Henry McKenna of Fox Sports. "And, you know, Polk was sort of in our estimation a plug-and-play. … Ultimately, to answer to your question, our record speaks for itself. We didn’t do enough.”

That's putting it lightly.

Going into New England's season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Polk had logged just 12 catches for 87 yards and a couple of touchdowns on the year. He hasn't caught a pass since Nov. 24, and he has been targeted just three times since then.

Meanwhile, Baker hasn't registered a single reception all season.

The Pats had tons of cap room last offseason and were hoping to land a wide out in free agency, but they were spurned by Calvin Ridley and had no backup plan.

They settled for K.J. Osborn, who they then released in the middle of the season. Otherwise, they didn't get a whole lot of production from their receivers, although youngsters like DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have at least shown some promise.

The Patriots are once again preparing to enter the free-agent market with expansive cap space, and this time around, they better make sure they land a legitimate receiver.

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