Latest / AFR Saints / Saints WR Ja'Lynn Polk Retires at 24: What It Means for New Orleans

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Saints WR Ja'Lynn Polk Retires at 24: What It Means for New Orleans · AFR Saints

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  Speaker 1: Day five wrapped up on Monday and no Jalen Polk
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  Speaker 1: because the Saints receiver retired very suddenly on Sunday. It
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  Speaker 1: was actually at my weekly mall walk with Drew. Put
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  Speaker 1: him in a wagon he loves ride. The elevators were
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  Speaker 1: rolling around, and then all of a sudden, boom, I
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  Speaker 1: get to notice that Jalen Polk retired, and it was
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  Speaker 1: especially surprising because he had gone through all the off season.
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  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, this was Kellen Moore in
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  Speaker 1: May talking about Jalen Polk participating.
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  Speaker 2: Finally was on the field. It was fun. I feel
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  Speaker 2: like I've seen Jalen so much this whole past almost
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  Speaker 2: calendar year now, and so it was great to see
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  Speaker 2: him out there. I mean, you know, obviously we thought
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  Speaker 2: really highly of him being able to acquire him from
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  Speaker 2: New England. It's been a great exposure and I'm excited
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  Speaker 2: for him.
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  Speaker 1: So Kellen Moore doesn't exactly exude emotion. We play a
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  Speaker 1: lot of Kellen Moore soundbites here. Dude typically don't say
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  Speaker 1: much like to hear him be it say it's exciting
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  Speaker 1: to see him out there, Like I believe him. It's
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  Speaker 1: genuine that they were excited about Jalen Pope being out there.
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  Speaker 1: If you don't remember, I'll kind of give you the
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  Speaker 1: very quick catchup on Jalen Polk. So, Jalen Polk's kid
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  Speaker 1: from Texas. He begins his college career at Texas Tech.
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  Speaker 1: He's there for one season the COVID year. He transfers
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  Speaker 1: to Washington, spends three seasons at dub and was on
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  Speaker 1: the team that played for the national championship on the
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  Speaker 1: you know with Roma Doonsday in that offense. You know,
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  Speaker 1: Michael Pennix, the whole deal. He goes into the draft,
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  Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four draft after the twenty three season,
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  Speaker 1: and he's picked thirty seventh overall by New England and
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  Speaker 1: has a pretty horrendous rookie season. Uh, he catches twelve
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  Speaker 1: balls for eighty seven yards. This guy was the thirty
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  Speaker 1: seventh pick of the draft, played in fifteen games, started
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  Speaker 1: seven times, but basically had zero productivity in that offense.
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  Speaker 1: And it wasn't just the stats Pro Football Focus. So
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  Speaker 1: in that season, the twenty twenty four season, I went
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  Speaker 1: and looked this up today. So the twenty twenty four season,
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  Speaker 1: Pro Football Focus gave a season long grade to two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and twenty three wide receivers. Jalen Polk, the thirty
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  Speaker 1: seventh pick in the draft in his rookie year, graded
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  Speaker 1: out two hundred and twenty first out of two hundred
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  Speaker 1: twenty three receivers. There were only two receivers in the
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  Speaker 1: NFL that got a worst grade from PFF in twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty four. So New England's like whatever, So he has
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  Speaker 1: shoulder surgery in August, they trade him to the Saints.
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  Speaker 1: The Saints, no, look, he's already had the surgery. They
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  Speaker 1: traded for him knowing that he's basically getting a red
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  Speaker 1: shirt year. But the Saints sent a sixth round pick
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  Speaker 1: to New England for Polk and a seven. So if
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  Speaker 1: nothing works out with Polk, Basically it was a pick swap.
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  Speaker 1: They got a six, you got a seven, and maybe
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  Speaker 1: Polk works out. Like y'all know, I've lent my fair
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  Speaker 1: share of criticism to Mickey Loomis, this is one of
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  Speaker 1: those deals I don't hate. Like it was a low risk,
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  Speaker 1: high potential reward. It didn't pay off for you, but
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  Speaker 1: I have no problem making the deal because it's a
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  Speaker 1: really talented guy that maybe new fresh beginnings, you know,
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  Speaker 1: new Beginning's fresh start, new scenery, might have served him well,
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  Speaker 1: and it seemed like it was going that direction. But
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  Speaker 1: on Sunday, very suddenly, Jalen Polk announces he's retiring, something
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  Speaker 1: that Kellen Moore was asked about when he met with
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  Speaker 1: reporters on Monday.
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  Speaker 2: Jalen Polk went to Reserve retired. He was good about
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  Speaker 2: the whole thing, as we kind of we had a
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  Speaker 2: lot of conversations we went through this just kind of
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  Speaker 2: something that he felt try for him personal thing, and
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  Speaker 2: so he was great. Communication again as always was great,
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  Speaker 2: and so you know, we love that guy, and so
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  Speaker 2: we'll keep close with him sales as he kind of
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  Speaker 2: goes through everything.
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  Speaker 1: There's certainly there's certainly more to this story, because there's
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  Speaker 1: like there's the news and then there's what's really going on.
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  Speaker 1: The news is that Jalen Polk retired. When you look
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  Speaker 1: at a twenty four year old former second round pick
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  Speaker 1: who the Saints traded for effectively gave him a red
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  Speaker 1: shirt year, he went through the whole offseason program, man,
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  Speaker 1: he went through OTA's and Mini camp and all of it,
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  Speaker 1: and now week into training camp when he's finally back
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  Speaker 1: out on the field and a lot of excitement surrounding him,
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  Speaker 1: he just suddenly retires like something else is going on.
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  Speaker 1: And they tried to press Kellen Moore on that today.
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  Speaker 2: I'll let him kind of handle that, but you know, again,
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  Speaker 2: it was it was a personal decision, and Jalen had
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  Speaker 2: a great, great OTA's, great start to camp, and I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, he just felt like this is the best
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  Speaker 2: decision for him on a personal level. And so, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I love that guy. He's he did an awesome job
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  Speaker 2: through the entire process. Here you know, the year plus
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  Speaker 2: that we had him, and so we'll continue to support
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  Speaker 2: him in.
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  Speaker 1: Loveon so not a year plus by the way, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: it was late August last year when they traded for him.
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  Speaker 1: So it hasn't even been a calendar year since Jalen
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  Speaker 1: Polk showed up. But I will be interested if and
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  Speaker 1: when Jalen Polk decides to make that public. For whatever
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  Speaker 1: reason he chose to retire, I'll be very curious to
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  Speaker 1: hear what he says, because candidly, that's a guy where
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  Speaker 1: I had a low expectation but high hopes and was
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  Speaker 1: really pulling for him. Just generally speaking, in life, I
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  Speaker 1: don'd like to see people struggle or fail. I believe
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  Speaker 1: life is abundant and we can all have success, and
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  Speaker 1: we should pull for each other and lift each other up.
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  Speaker 1: And I think that's true in business and in life
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  Speaker 1: and everything. And so Jalen America loves a comeback story.
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  Speaker 1: I would have loved to see this for Jalen Polk,
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  Speaker 1: considering all the things we just talked about, and it
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  Speaker 1: felt like it was falling in line there and for
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  Speaker 1: him to suddenly retire, we'll see now what that reason is.
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  Speaker 1: It was really hopeful that it would have worked out
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  Speaker 1: for him. But as I look at the receiver position
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  Speaker 1: in New Orleans now without Jalen Polk, the truth is
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't really hurt you because you didn't have anything.
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  Speaker 1: You can't lose something you never had, Like Jalen Polk
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  Speaker 1: was on the team a year ago but was unavailable
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  Speaker 1: because of injuries. We spent the year on ir and
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  Speaker 1: so it's not like you had this productive player that
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  Speaker 1: you were counting on that you gave up a lot
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  Speaker 1: of assets and resources for to be a productive player
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  Speaker 1: on your team. Like it's the anti Brian Berzee situation Brazil. Thankfully,
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  Speaker 1: his career is not over, but losing Brazil is significant
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  Speaker 1: because that's an interior pass rush or a guy that
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  Speaker 1: was a first round pick. You have a lot invested
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  Speaker 1: in him. You picked up his fifth year option for
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  Speaker 1: next year. He's a guy that was going to be
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  Speaker 1: part of your interior rotation. Has had a seven and
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  Speaker 1: a half sax season. You're really hoping he put it
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  Speaker 1: all together this year. So you have a lot invested
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  Speaker 1: in Brazil and so for him not to be available,
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  Speaker 1: that's significant. Pulk and done anything. So you were hopeful,
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  Speaker 1: but not necessarily rightly optimistic. And so you look at
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  Speaker 1: the Saints receiving cor now, I mean, Chris Olave is
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  Speaker 1: coming off a career year, had eleven hundred yards. You
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  Speaker 1: just gave him the big contract. You drafted Jordan Tyson tenth. Overall,
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  Speaker 1: there's grand expectations there and already right there, just when
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  Speaker 1: you look at a lave Tyson, that's a better one
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  Speaker 1: too than what you had for the second half of
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  Speaker 1: last year after you traded Rashid Shahit Vele was starting
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  Speaker 1: to produce for you until his injury, and then you
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  Speaker 1: were looking at Kevin Austin and Mason Tipton and Samari
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  Speaker 1: Torre and Ronnie Bell. I mean, just you have much
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  Speaker 1: greater expectations for Jordan Tyson. So a lave Tyson one
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  Speaker 1: to two already gives you a better presence than you
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  Speaker 1: had a year ago. Devon Veley is there as you're
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  Speaker 1: number three, and then down the line, you're really hopeful
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  Speaker 1: about the rookies like Bryce Lance and Barrion Brown. That's
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  Speaker 1: five that are almost certainly locks to make the team.
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  Speaker 1: The question now, with Polk's retirement is can someone move
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  Speaker 1: up a chair and make the team as a sixth receiver,
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  Speaker 1: kind of a veteran like Austin or Mason Tipton make
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  Speaker 1: the team. Someone asked me today if I think the
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  Speaker 1: Saints would sign a receiver. I don't think you need to.
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  Speaker 1: I don't think you need to go hunting for a
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  Speaker 1: fifth or sixth wide receiver. If you think Barrion Brown
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  Speaker 1: specifically helps you as a return specialist, then maybe that's
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  Speaker 1: your sixth and you're looking for someone else who could
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  Speaker 1: be part of the rotation that might be better than
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  Speaker 1: Austin or Tipton or Ronnie Bell are one of those guys.
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  Speaker 1: But I think that remains to be seen in time
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  Speaker 1: will tell. And then you also have to remember, as
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  Speaker 1: far as pass catchers, you have Kamara and Hn, and
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  Speaker 1: you have Juwan Johnson, and you drafted Oscar delp and
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  Speaker 1: you signed Noah fan Like, there's no shortage of pass catchers.
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  Speaker 1: That was certainly a problem a year ago, it's not
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  Speaker 1: now in theory anyway. So while it's disappointing, Jalen Polk's
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  Speaker 1: retirement really shouldn't have a massive effect, or really any
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  Speaker 1: effect at all on this new orld and Saints offense
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  Speaker 1: and what our projections are for it.