Patriots sign Marte Mapu to rookie contract
Marte Mapu has impressed in OTAs and just received a nice reward for his efforts. The New England Patriots' third-round pick signed his rookie contract on Friday afternoon, Generation Sports Group agents Ryan A Ehrlich and Matt Glose confirmed to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. His signing bonus will be between $1,027,588 and $1,049,780, while his four-year contract will […]
Marte Mapu has impressed in OTAs and just received a nice reward for his efforts.
The New England Patriots' third-round pick signed his rookie contract on Friday afternoon, Generation Sports Group agents Ryan A Ehrlich and Matt Glose confirmed to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
His signing bonus will be between $1,027,588 and $1,049,780, while his four-year contract will be worth between $5,537,932 and $5,568,446.
Mapu was one of three rookies to not have signed his contract yet, but with today's report, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive end Keion White remain the only two left to sign.
The linebacker spent three seasons at Sacramento State and in his final season he recorded 65 total tackles with one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception.
He was selected by the Patriots in the third round with the 76th overall pick.
Despite the fact that he has been in a red, non-contact jersey for OTAs, Mapu appears to be getting numerous reps at deep safety and is looked at as a possible replacement for Devin McCourty. The 6-foot-3, 216 pounds defenseman intercepted a pass from Bailey Zappe intended for tight end Matt Sokol during 11-on-11s on Friday. He later broke up a pass intended for receiver Ed Lee.
Being moved around the Patriots defense from safety to linebacker, Mapu's versatility will be a strong asset to New England.
Adrian Phillips spoke about what he has seen from Mapu, noting that he is focused on improving and learning the Patriots system.
"He's doing really good. He's just a guy that wants to learn and when you talk about rookie guys coming in, that's the main thing that you want to see," Phillips said. "He's gonna ask a million questions because he's one of those guys that doesn't want to get it wrong, but he's not afraid to get it wrong because he wants to learn and be the best that he can."
Featured image via Sacramento State Athletics
