Imagine a team passing for 443 yards and scoring 52 points without their best receiver. Now, picture that same team improving their receiving corps by adding an all-star.
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Less than a week after a dominant offensive performance against the BC Lions, and with the status of Damonte Coxie still in the air – they’ll have a better idea of if he’ll be ready for Monday’s Labour Day Classic in Hamilton when they get on the practice field this week – the Toronto Argonauts announced on Tuesday that they’re bringing back their most productive pass catcher from last year’s Grey Cup championship team.
Makai Polk was a revelation in 2024. In his first CFL season he led the team with 61 catches, 1,024 yards, and 5 touchdowns, despite not finding his grove until mid-season. In his last seven regular season games he broke the 100-yard mark five times, then posted a monster four catch, 158-yard game in the Eastern Semi-Final.
He was also named an East Division All-Star and Toronto’s Most Outstanding Rookie.
It was impressive enough to catch the eye of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, who signed the 6’3”, 200-pound receiver in January. Sadly, for Polk, he was released August 1st, which paved the road back to Toronto.
The route wasn’t a straight one however, as he also had tryouts with Arizona, Washington, and Buffalo before deciding to get off the NFL roller coaster and head back to Toronto.
“I’m definitely excited,” Polk told Argonauts.ca. “Not just to get that feel of the game again and get some in-game action, I haven’t felt that since November. It’s going to be fun on Monday; I can’t wait for it. I’m super excited to go out there and dominate and play the way I know how to play.”
Makai Polk is an excellent receiver. He proved it at Mississippi State in 2021 when he led the SEC with 105 catches, finishing with 1,046 yards. He also showed he could excel north of the border with his outstanding season in ’24.
But the NFL has been tough. Practice roster stints with the Ravens and Giants preceded his Argo debut, then ping ponging his way through four more teams this summer has admittedly been tough on him.
“It was a challenge mentally,” he confessed. “But I try not to dwell on it too much, I try to leave that all up to God. I can control what I can control. I just try to get better every day, one foot in front of the other. It is challenging, and it’s tough mentally, but I don’t feel sorry for myself. You can’t feel sorry for yourself in this kind of business, it will only hold you back.”
What makes it easier is that Polk is returning to a place where he is loved, by teammates, coaches, staff, and fans alike.
There was no epiphany, no single moment where he realized that a return to Toronto would be good for his body and his soul, but the lure of going back to a place where he was truly appreciated was consistently there.
“It was always in the back of my mind, it’s home,” he explained. “You want to be where you’re wanted, and I feel like that was a determining factor. I feel like anyone in that situation will get tired of situations that aren’t going their way.”
His positional coach certainly loves Polk’s decision to return to Toronto.
Pete Costanza has been in love with his receiver’s skillset since he first laid eyes on him during training camp last year. While he’s saddened by the Richmond, California native’s lack of success in fulfilling his dream of playing in the NFL – at least for now – he’s selfishly happy to see the game changing receiver back in Double Blue.
“When you have somebody with his ability coming back it’s hard not to be excited about it,” Costanza, the team’s receivers coach, told Argonauts.ca. “We’re sad that it didn’t work out for him, he’s got the potential down there to potentially make some life-changing money, but we’re very excited to have him back. He’s a good football player and a great human being.”
There can be several factors why a player doesn’t stick with an NFL team, some political, others based on an athlete’s versatility, or ability to play on special teams. Whatever the issue was, Costanza can’t wait to get Polk back in Double Blue.
“He’s perfectly suited for the CFL game,” Costanza explained. “A tall, physical receiver that can play in the slot and does a really good job in the run game. Somebody with his height, his speed, and his ability to run routes like he does, those are things that you can’t coach on the day-to-day. You get somebody with Makai’s skill set it just opens things up a little more.”
That giant gulp you hear is from the collective group of CFL defensive coordinators trying to figure out how to stop this group, especially with QB Nick Arbuckle playing as well as he has. He’s currently riding a streak of five consecutive games with at least 300 passing yards, throwing 11 TDs against just two interceptions in that span.
Also trying to make sense of this group will be the Argos coaching staff. When everyone is healthy, the staff will have to figure out which five receivers start with Polk, Coxie, DaVaris Daniels, Jake Herslow, and Janarion Grant the group of American receivers, joined by Nationals Dejon Brissett, Kevin Mital, and Dave Ungerer III.
Most teams would love to be in the Argos position in terms of receiving depth and talent, and Polk will almost certainly be in the starting lineup against the Ticats on Monday.