Joshua Mauga (born June 20, 1987) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2009. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Early life

Mauga was born in

Fallon, Nevada Fallon is a city in Churchill County, Nevada, Churchill County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 9,327 at time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahont ...

. He graduated in 2005 from

Churchill County High School Churchill County High School is located in Fallon, Churchill County, Nevada. The building was built in 1917, and was opened in 1920. Academics Part of the Churchill County School District, operating under the Principal Kevin Lords, the school ...

where he earned All-State and All-region honors. He was also the top heavyweight

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

in the state of

College career

Mauga was named to ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' All-Freshman team in 2005 after play all season games and notched 32

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

. In 2006 was second on the team with 56 tackles and also

intercepted In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

3 passes. He moved from outside linebacker to the inside linebacker position in that year. In 2007, he was the WAC leader in tackles before an MCL injury kept him out, he tied on second on team tackles with 82. He was named

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

, an honor rarely bestowed on a junior at Nevada. In his senior season he entered as a contender for WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He played through a torn

pectoral muscle Pectoral muscles (colloquially referred to as "pecs") are the muscles that connect the front of the human chest with the bones of the upper arm and shoulder. This region contains four muscles that provide movements to the upper limbs or ribs. ...

managing 54 tackles, 7.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. He underwent surgery on his torn pectoral muscle on December 17 that cost him playing in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Mauga left Nevada alongside

Marko Mitchell Marko Terrell Mitchell (born March 11, 1985) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack. M ...

for the

2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...

. He was limited to

cardiovascular In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart a ...

training and lower body weightlifting to be ready for the Nevada Pro Day.

New York Jets

2009

On August 16, 2009, Mauga signed with the

. He was waived/injured on August 28 and subsequently reverted to

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

, only to be released with an injury settlement on September 1. Mauga was re-signed to the Jets'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on December 10, 2009, but released December 20.

2010

He was re-signed to a future contract on January 6, 2010. On September 3, 2010, the Jets waived Mauga who was unable to practice during training camp due to a concussion. Mauga was signed to the team's practice squad on September 6, 2010. Mauga debuted for the Jets against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. On October 9, 2012, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn pectoral muscle during a game against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

on Monday Night Football.

Kansas City Chiefs

Mauga signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on July 24, 2014. On August 30, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve. On July 6, 2017, Mauga re-signed with the Chiefs. He was released on August 28, 2017.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Filmography

Film

References

External links

New York Jets bio

Nevada Wolf Pack football bio

Joshua Mauga IMDB Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mauga, Josh 1987 births Living people People from Fallon, Nevada Players of American football from Nevada American football linebackers Nevada Wolf Pack football players New York Jets players Kansas City Chiefs players