Patriots Rookie Has Cryptic Social Media Post After He's Called Out by Head Coach

New England Patriots receiver is having a rough couple of weeks.

After having two drops in last week’s 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans, he topped himself with three drops in Sunday’s 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Though some growing pains were likely expected with the rookie wideout, head coach Jerod Mayo didn’t just let his back-to-back underwhelming performances slide.

“We need more from Polk,” Mayo told reporters . “We need more concentration. He’ll be a good player int his league, he’s just got to continue to work at it.”

The 2024 second-round pick didn’t take kindly to Mayo’s callout, posting a cryptic peace sign emoji on Instagram, possibly signaling he’s checked out on the Patriots after their 1-6 start.

Polk’s drop rate is hovering around 20%, per Pro Football Focus. The league average is 6.7%.

Though the Patriots thought highly enough of Polk to take him 37th overall ahead of other talented receivers still on the board like Adonai Mitchell, the Washington alum hasn’t quite lived up to New England’s standards.

Polk ranks third on the team in targets (23) but is just fifth in receptions (10), sixth in receiving yards (78) and eighth in yards per reception (7.8).

With the Pats seemingly committed to rookie quarterback Drake Maye for the rest of the season, it would behoove them to get him and Polk on the same page with the team’s wide receiver depth among the thinnest in the league.