The Patriots drafted Marte Mapu in the third round in 2023, landing a versatile linebacker out of Sacramento State with a family connection to one of the franchise’s most beloved defenders. His uncle, Pro Football Hall of Famer Junior Seau, spent four seasons in New England and captained the 2007 team that went 18-0 before falling to the Giants in Super Bowl 42.
Seau never got his ring. Now his nephew plays in the same building, for the same franchise, with a shot at what Seau chased for 20 NFL seasons.
Marte Mapu’s Path From FCS to Super Bowl 60
Mapu only met Seau once, when Mapu was 10 years old. But the advice stuck.
“My dad and my uncles, that’s a part of their childhood,” Mapu told Patriots.com after being drafted. “They grew up together, so football is part of our blood.”
Few players make the leap from the FCS to meaningful NFL snaps. Mapu played quarterback and wide receiver at Hawthorne High School in California before Sacramento State molded him into a hybrid defender who lined up at nickelback, safety, and linebacker. By 2022, he earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors after recording 76 tackles and two interceptions.
The Patriots saw something in his versatility. Head coaches have deployed him across the secondary, and he’s answered with playmaking ability in critical moments. He intercepted Patrick Mahomes in his rookie season. This year, he’s logged 17 games and contributed as both a coverage player and box defender in New England’s turnaround.
Asked how playing multiple positions has shaped him, Mapu offered a practical philosophy.
“They say jack of all trades, master of none, but you don’t get those experiences just by talking about it,” Mapu told PFSN in San Francisco. “Like when you’re in the trenches and stuff like that and learning those things, like I feel like that’s kind of one of the reasons why I’ve learned so fast.”
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His approach to adversity has remained consistent: lean into faith, keep working. A Sacramento State-to-the-NFL pipeline is not common. Mapu acknowledges the challenge without dwelling on it.
“Every time I face adversity, I just keep getting closer to God,” Mapu said. “Keep working hard, keep getting closer to God, and then trust whatever the spirit moves me to do. The spirit moved me to work hard. I work hard. That’s it.”
What Junior Seau’s Legacy Means for Super Bowl 60
Junior Seau appeared in two Super Bowls and lost both. The first came with the 1994 Chargers, who fell to San Francisco 49-26 in Super Bowl 29. The second came 13 years later, when the 39-year-old Seau served as a team captain for New England’s perfect regular season.
That Patriots team entered Super Bowl 42 as heavy favorites. David Tyree’s helmet catch and Eli Manning’s escape changed everything. Seau recorded two tackles in a 17-14 loss that denied him the one prize his Hall of Fame career lacked.
Seau died in May 2012. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015 as a 12-time Pro Bowler and six-time first-team All-Pro.
When asked about his uncle’s advice ahead of Super Bowl 60, Mapu kept it simple.
“I was too young when he passed away at that point in time,” Mapu said. “But he just had a great energy. I was extremely blessed when I was able to encounter him. I feel like that’s just what I’m starting to know more is like having that balance between football and life, having that joy, how to carry yourself.”
Seau never got to see his nephew reach the NFL. He never saw him intercept Mahomes or line up for a Patriots playoff game. But the lesson Seau imparted to a 10-year-old in 2009 about the importance of film study helped guide Mapu through six college seasons and into the league.
Mapu’s sister asked if he could carry a flag representing his Samoan heritage onto the field at Levi’s Stadium. Sacramento State, his alma mater, is pushing for FBS status and watching one of its own compete on the sport’s biggest stage. The Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year turned third-round pick turned Super Bowl participant.
Seau played 20 years and made two Super Bowl appearances without winning a ring. His nephew gets his first shot in year three. Whatever happens next, Mapu carries more than a roster spot. He carries a family legacy that never found its ending.
