BREAKING: Future Hall of Fame Special Teamer Matthew Slater is Coming Back for Another Season
Timothy T Ludwig. Getty Images.The New England Patriots announced today that special teams captain Matthew Slater will return to the Patriots this season.
"I couldn't be happier to learn that Matthew Slater has decided to return for his 16th season with the New England Patriots," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "Matthew's drive to be the best at what he does will one day earn him enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet, as stellar as his football career has been, he is an even better person. He is led by his faith and spirituality, dedicated to his family and committed to his craft. There is no better leader for our younger players to follow and no better ambassador for the Patriots organization. He is truly special, and I am grateful that his contributions to the team will continue."
Slater, 37, is a veteran of 15 NFL seasons with the Patriots after originally joining the team as a fifth-round draft pick (153rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of UCLA. The 6-foot, 205-pounder is a 12-time team captain and has earned 10 Pro Bowl invitations as a special teamer, the most special teams Pro Bowl honors in NFL history. Steve Tasker has the second-most with seven Pro Bowl selections. The only other players that were active in 2022 with at least 10 Pro Bowl berths were Tom Brady (15) and Aaron Rodgers (10).
"Mattew's incredible career is a testament to his preparation and will to succeed," said head coach Bill Belichick. "We are thrilled he will be playing this season."
Ordinarily, the return of a core-4, full time special teams player wouldn't move the needle for anyone. It certainly wouldn't achieve blog-worthiness late on a Friday when drinking lamps ought to be lit. Especially when we're talking about a guy who's listed as a wide receiver and has one career reception (46 yards, 2011). But there has never been anything about Matthew Slater where any variation of the word "ordinary" applies.
There was really no reason to doubt the Patriots last game in January would be Slater's last game. If this moment didn't say it all:
… this one most certainly did:
[Deep breath, Old Balls. Keep it together. Close your eyes and think of New England. And … resume.]
Last week Slater appeared on a religious podcast where he said he was not sure what his future holds. Then came reports he was still a fixture around Gillette. And now we have our answer. And it's the best news.
We still don't know the status of McCourty, obviously. That comes later. For now it's about Slater coming back for an astonishing 16th season. An NFL legacy who's father Jackie Slater played 20 seasons and made seven Pro Bowls as an offensive lineman with the Rams, it's hard not to draw parallels between them. Both made their livings at positions that defy statistics. It's as hard to quantify how reliable Slater the Elder was at executing his assignments, opening holes and running off pass rushers as it is to keep stats on how many punt returns Slater the Younger prevented by beating double team blocks from the gunner position and getting into the returner's face as the ball got to him. All we can do is look at the remarkable number of games played (259 for Jackie, 223 and counting for Matthew), the Pro Bowls (the dad made it to seven), and the way the people who work in the game and understand the contributions of both talk about them. Jackie Slater is in the Hall of Fame. If there's any justice in the world (a dubious assumption at best), his son should follow him in.
But that's part of the blog I thought I'd be writing when the season ended in Miami. Now it's for another time. A year from now at least. Now is for celebrating the fact that a team captain, who is second all time in games played in franchise history, and who was Top 20 in the league in special teams snaps at the age of 37, is back. His journey continues.
I forget exactly when I finally declared Slater was the best special teams player in franchise history. But it was a long time ago. Six or seven years, at least. And I got a ton of blowback from the people saying it was Troy Brown (huge respect for all he did), or Larry Izzo (same). But never in the years since did I ever waiver from that position. Nor did I have to die on that hill. Unless it's from the crush of people who have joined me on it. Because now it's pretty much unanimous. And by the time he finally does call it a career, the only debate will be whether he's the best from any franchise.
It's still early. But an offseason of great news continues.