Ja'Lynn Polk's cryptic social media post could mean big problems for the Patriots

On the list of concerns surrounding the Patriots' offensive roster at the start of the season, witnessing the downfall of rookie receiver Ja'Lynn Polk was certainly not expected. He looked impressive during training camp and the preseason, and a few flashes during the first few weeks of this season suggested the Patriots might have struck gold by taking him in the draft.

But his consistent downfall over the past month with drops and missed opportunities plaguing his growth has prompted concerns about his development so far.

It also doesn't help when Jerod Mayo addressed his decline to the media by suggesting the rookie might be too much in his head, hence the mental mistakes he's made, and Polk taking the comments personally in response.

The receiver shot back, stating he had "no mental issues," which is far from what Mayo said, and claimed he had the "best hands in the league." With those comments in mind, seeing the same issues occur against the Jaguars on Sunday opened the door for fans to troll Polk every time he dropped a reception.

He was eventually ruled questionable with a head injury late in the game, with little evidence shown to support a legitimate injury, and based on a new post to his Instagram story, it might have actually been a benching.

Ja'Lynn Polk's cryptic social media post gives Patriots another thing to worry about after loss

It's pretty cryptic and open for interpretation, one of which being he's leaving or quitting. It's clearly out of frustration, which isn't surprising whatsoever but also not a great sign for how he's feeling after another tough outing.

No matter what it means, serious or not, it's not a good look for the new regime in New England, as Polk becomes the latest Patriot to take to social media to air out his frustrations, whether warranted or not.

We've already seen it from Jalen Reagor, who was ultimately released, and Tyquan Thornton, who has been a healthy scratch the last two weeks. Polk appears to be the latest player to follow the trend, meaning Jerod Mayo needs to get a handle on the team before things get too out of hand.

The unfortunate part with this latest drama is there's not much to it other than the team wanting Polk to play better and the way to do that is to catch the football. They know he's talented and they know what he's capable of, which is why they drafted him.

But taking the criticism so personally to get to this point is not necessary.

UPDATE:

Polk has since deleted the post.

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