The Patriots informed linebacker Marte Mapu on Tuesday morning that they planned to release him, moving on from a 26-year-old defender they chose in the third round at No. 76 in 2023.
Mapu played 44 games over three seasons, made 10 starts and finished with 89 total tackles and three interceptions. He was due $1.5 million in the final year of his rookie contract, a price New England was no longer willing to carry as it keeps remaking a defense that enters 2026 after a surprise Super Bowl run and a lopsided loss to the Seahawks.
The move also strips away one of the more versatile pieces in the Patriots’ linebacker group. Mapu served as the personal protector on the punt team, a role that showed how the team valued his range and toughness even when his defensive role was uneven.
New England has now essentially torn down its linebacker room this offseason. The Patriots also have moved on from Jahlani Tavai, Anfernee Jennings and Jack Gibbens, leaving Robert Spillane as the central figure in the room after he signed last offseason to a three-year, $33 million contract and was elected a captain for coach Mike Vrabel’s new-look squad.
Spillane played through a strong 2025 season, finishing with 97 total tackles, two interceptions and a sack while wearing the green dot and leading the defense. But he also dealt with ankle and foot injuries in the latter half of the year, and he is now set to enter his age-30 season with the unit looking top-heavy and short on proven depth.
The Patriots’ decision on Mapu fits the larger picture: they are trying to get faster, cheaper and more defined at linebacker before the 2026 NFL draft. That leaves one of their recent draft picks out the door and a position group with more questions than answers, even after the franchise’s unexpected run to the Super Bowl.
For Mapu, the release closes a three-year stretch that never quite settled into a consistent role. For New England, it is another clear sign that the overhaul is not done yet.
