career Seattle Seahawks Mawae was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round (36th overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft. He was Louisiana State's highest selected offensive lineman since Bo Strange in 1961. Mawae saw his first pro action at right guard against the Los Angeles Raiders on September 11, and never left the lineup after taking over early in the game versus the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the season playing in 14 games, starting the final 11 at right guard. After the season Mawae earned first-team All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association, College and Pro Football Newsweekly and Football News. In 1995, he started all 16 games at right guard, seeing time at center in two games. In his first two seasons he helped pave the way for Seahawks running back Chris Warren to have back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons of over 1,300 yards rushing. He was moved to the center position at the start of his 1996 season and remained at that spot for the rest of his NFL career. New York Jets In 1998, Mawae was signed by the New York Jets. In his first season in New York, the Jets' offense averaged 357.2 yards per game (second-best in AFC and fourth-best in NFL), while controlling the ball for an average of 32:17 minutes per game (second-best in AFC and third-best in NFL), also helped running back Curtis Martin to rush for franchise-record eight 100-yard rushing games en route to 1,287-yard season. He started all 16 games. In 1999, he was named to his first Pro Bowl on December 22, he did not miss a play for the second straight season and paved the way for Martin's then franchise-record of 1,464 yards rushing, and snapped to three different quarterbacks; Vinny Testaverde, Rick Mirer and Ray Lucas. During the 2000 NFL season, he was a member of an offensive line that managed to tie the Indianapolis Colts for the fewest sacks allowed during the regular season with 20. Also, he helped the Jets offense average 337.2 yards per game which was the 12th best in the NFL and the passing offense averaged 245.3 yards per game (sixth in NFL). Mawae earned his second consecutive starting spot as an AFC team Pro Bowl center when he was selected to the Pro Bowl on six consecutive occasions (1999–2004). In 2002, he underwent offseason shoulder surgery to repair