New England Patriots: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
LB. (2006-09). Junior Seau. 10. player. 47.
- NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1992)
- 12x Pro Bowl (1991-2002)
- 8x First-Team All-Pro (1991-1996, 1998, 2000)
- 1,849 career tackles
Junior Seau is an absolute, undeniable legend in the NFL.
Mind-bogglingly, the linebacker out of Southern California managed to rack up 10 straight All-Pro seasons from 1991 to 2000 and 12 straight Pro Bowl seasons from 1991 to 2002. That kind of sustained excellence and longevity is almost unheard of, and yet Seau somehow made it look easy.
Drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft, Seau didn’t have that far to travel in transitioning from college to the pros. After a sterling collegiate career at USC, the then-San Diego Chargers made him the face of their defense, and arguably their franchise. It was a true Golden State fairytale: local Oceanside resident goes to college in Los Angeles and then comes back down to San Diego to play professionally.
After 13 years with the Chargers, where he never missed more than three games in a regular season, Seau was finally traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2003 at the age of 34. He enjoyed a strong first season in South Beach before the injury bug finally bit in 2004 and 2005, causing him to miss about half of each season.
When the Dolphins released Seau in 2006, the 37-year-old linebacker announced his intentions to retire from football. Yet just four days later, he signed with the Patriots in free agency and returned to the gridiron game he loved so much.
Seau spent his final four seasons in the NFL with the Patriots. While he never won a Super Bowl ring, he came ever-so-close during the 2007 season. New England went undefeated before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, 17-14.
His first two seasons with the Patriots were more productive (and healthier) than his last two seasons. That being said, throughout his entire tenure with the team, he was a consummate professional and role model within the locker room.
Seau’s death by suicide in 2012 remains one of the most tragic incidents in the history of the NFL. He was also one of the first former players to be diagnosed with CTE, a type of degenerative brain disease thought to be caused by repetitive head trauma.