Patriots Bringing Back Key Veteran Contributor
By Jason Hall
March 14, 2022
Veteran special teams ace Matthew Slater will be returning to the New England Patriots for his 15th NFL season.
ESPN reports Slater agreed to a one-year, $2.62 million fully guaranteed deal, a source with knowledge confirmed.
Slater, 36, was selected to his 10th Pro Bowl in 2021 -- the most of any special teams player -- and is a two-time first-team All-Pro (2016, 2019), second-team All-Pro (2017, 2020, 2021), a member of three of the Patriots' Super Bowl champion teams (XLIX, LI, LIII) and a member of the Patriots 2010s All-Decade Team.
The former UCLA standout was selected by the Patriots at No. 153 overall in the fifth-round of the 2008 NFL Draft and has served as a team captain for 11 seasons, having also publicly stated that he only plans to play for New England for the remainder of his career.
Slater is typically the player who addresses the rest of the team during postgame locker room victory celebrations.
The 36-year-old recorded 11 special teams tackles and has recorded at least 10 in 10 of the past 14 seasons.
The special teams ace is also the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jackie Slater, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time second-team All-Pro during his career with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (1976-1995).