Patriots Special Teamer Matthew Slater Announces Retirement

It’s just the latest sign the Patriots are entering a new era, as Slater was a fixture in New England for the past 16 seasons as a special teams standout and team captain. 

Slater, 38, is a former fifth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2008 out of UCLA. He’s played his entire NFL career with the Patriots and is a ten-time Pro Bowl selection.

Slater signed a two-year contract with New England in 2018, which included a team option for the 2019 season. He then signed a two-year extension with the team back in 2020 and then agreed to a one-year, $2.62 million contract last year.

For his career, Slater appeared in 239 games over 16 seasons and recorded 191 total tackles, one forced fumble, one recovery, plus two tackles for loss, a blocked punt and a blocked punt touchdown. He returned kickoffs early in his career and started three games for the Patriots at safety in 2011. On offense, he had two carries for 11 yards and one catch for 46 yards. 

Slater was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and was twice named first-team All-Pro for his contributions on special teams.