Foxborough, MA - January 17: New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo speaks during his introductory press conference at Gillette Stadium. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Patriots Veteran Announces Jersey Number Change as they decide to land the Sensational ace
New England Patriots helmet sits on the bench during the game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles
There is going to be a number change in New England this year.
According to inside Mike Kadlick, second-year linebacker Marte Mapu will be switching jersey numbers in 2024.
Since former running back Ezekiel Elliot left to go back to Dallas this offseason, the No. 15 jersey is available.
Mapu wore No. 15 while in college at Sacramento State.
The California native played sparingly under former head coach Bill Belichick as a rookie.
He played in all 17 games but started just one time.
Against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the season in Week 15, he recorded his first career interception.
He finished his rookie season with 18 total tackles, a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and that one interception.
Moving forward under new head coach Jerod Mayo, look for Mapu to get some more playing time and ascend up the defensive depth chart.
The former third-round pick paid his dues on special teams last year and is now ready for a bigger role.
Perhaps that interception off of arguably the best quarterback in the game will propel him to getting more snaps on defense.
He played 47% of the special teams snaps and just 18% of the defensive snaps.
Look for the latter to increase.
Perhaps the number change will make him feel more comfortable and fired up.
The Pats would greatly benefit from it because he wasn’t a first-round pick that they are betting everything on.
He is an ascending role player that will have the potential to make an impact at both linebacker and safety in 2024 and beyond.
Taking a look at the schedule is also a reminder of the gauntlet of quarterbacks they’ll face: Allen, Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud, Caleb Williams, etc. They could certainly use another quality cornerback, and Gilmore is still just sitting on the free agent market.
Earlier this offseason, a source told colleague Karen Guregian that Gilmore was open to returning to the Patriots. He’d be a terrific mentor for Christian Gonzalez, New England doesn’t have a ton of depth at the position, and they currently lead the league with $50 million in cap space.
Why not make this happen?
Beyond Gilmore, there aren’t a ton of enticing options left on the market that fit positional needs. Xavien Howard is out there, but regressed quite a bit last season. Elsewhere, Justin Simmons is an excellent safety, but the Patriots already have two clear starters there in Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger, who was just paid handsomely himself.
