Patriots fans lament drafting Ja'Lynn Polk over Ladd McConkey - "Elliott Wolf and Jerod Mayo cannot still have jobs"

Patriots fans are furious with Elliott Wolf and Jerod Mayo after Ladd McConkey and the Chargers demolished their team, with Ja'Lynn Polk completely insignificant. Los Angeles won 40-7 in a blowout in New England and are now going to the playoffs.

It was not too long ago that the franchises' fortunes were not that different. In the 2024 NFL draft, the Patriots picked third and the Chargers selected fifth as they were among the worst teams in 2023. They both changed their coaches and were looking for a fresh start this year.

In the second round, Los Angeles traded with New England to go up and draft Ladd McConkey. The Patriots dropped down three places and took Ja'Lynn Polk while also adding Javon Barker in the fourth round.

One of the reasons the two teams' fortunes have diverged this year is due to that decision. Ladd McConkey scored two touchdowns and had 94 receiving yards in Saturday's game. Ja'Lynn Polk had one target, no receptions, no yards and no touchdowns. Over the season, the Chargers wide receiver has more than 1,000 yards, whereas the two Patriots players have cumulatively not reached 100.

While Chargers fans were elated, Patriots fans were furious with their general manager Elliott Wolf, and coach Jerod Mayo, who were the brain trust behind this decision. Here are some comments from X/Twitter.

New England fans continued to say that there was no way the coach and the general manager should return next year after their performance. Here are some more reactions.

"Everybody gotta go" - said one.

"They can’t be allowed to continue with this group." - noted another.

"This is the reason people get FIRED" - concurred a third.

Ja'Lynn Polk symptom of larger Patriots problem as Ladd McConkey thrives with Chargers

While a lot of fans are frustrated with Ja'Lynn Polk, Elliott Wolf, and Jerod Mayo, the problem is that these are dark times for the Patriots. They were no better with a different cast last season at wide receiver, general manager, and coach.

NFL reporter Dianna Russini made a point that contextualized how bad things are for the Patriots. This is their worst stretch in more than half a century.

"For the Patriots it marks a historic low in franchise history, clinching a sub-.300 win percentage in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1968 and ’69, when they were the AFL’s Boston Patriots." - she recorded.

Ladd McConkey and the Chargers, on the other hand, have no such issues. They are going to the playoffs and look capable of causing some problems there.