The New Orleans Saints stunned the NFL on Sunday by placing the former second-round pick on the reserve/retired list. Days before the retirement announcement, Kellen Moore revealed Polk had been away from the team for personal reasons, offering few details. Less than three years after helping Washington play for a national championship, Polk is stepping away from the NFL. A shoulder injury then wiped out his entire 2025 season, prompting the Patriots to send him to New Orleans in a late-round pick swap while he was still on injured reserve. DETROIT LIONS GREAT FRANK RAGNOW DETAILS HIS ABRUPT RETIREMENT, FAILED COMEBACK ATTEMPTAfter spending nearly a full year rehabbing his shoulder, Polk walked away without playing a regular-season snap for the Saints.