Matthew

Slater

Slater, a special teams ace throughout the Belichick-Brady dynasty, announced his retirement in a lengthy statement posted to X, formerly Twitter. Among the most respected people in the NFL, Slater, 38, was a do-it-all player for New England, blocking field goals and punts, serving as a special teams gunner, and generally doing the dirty work that undergirded the team’s unprecedented success in the 2000s and 2010s. “Matthew Slater deserves every accolade someone could receive,” former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. “He is a once in a lifetime person, and the best core special teams player in NFL history.” Slater retires as a ten-time Pro Bowler and a three-time Super Bowl champion.

The Pats announced Slater’s return on Twitter. The veteran specials teams ace is set to hit free agency, but it’s safe to assume the two sides have worked out another one-year deal. Per the team’s site, Slater is second in team history with 223 total games played. He has logged at least 300 special teams snaps in each of the past five years.

Slater is a WR in name only, as he never plays offense, and is mainly glued to the Patriots’ special teams units. He has one career catch, coming all the way back in 2011. Slater turns 37 in September.

Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the deal is “similar to” Slater’s most recent pact, which paid him $2.6 million per season. Headed into his age-35 campaign, Slater has been one of coach Bill Belichick’s team leaders since 2008. Slater has one career reception. It came in 2011.

“I still love to play and want to continue to play,” Slater noted just a short few weeks after initially discussing walking away altogether. “There are a lot of things up in the air that I don’t know, but I’m going to approach it as though I’m preparing to play next year.” The Patriots’ 34-year-old special teams captain was elected to his record-breaking eighth Pro Bowl selection this year and remains on record of wanting to finish his career in Foxborough.

The Pats are also talking with special-teams ace Matt Slater. Connolly was limited to 13 games (11 starts) last season as he dealt with a groin injury. Ihedigbo appeared in all 16 games, making the first 12 starts of his career in the process. He notched 69 tackles, but was a major liability in coverage.

The special teams ace and team captain was a priority signing for the Patriots. While he’s irrelevant in fantasy circles with just one catch in 59 career games, Slater is a “glue” player in New England.

Slater did play a little safety at UCLA and has spent some time there as a rookie, so this one isn’t completely out of left field. He racked up seven tackles and forced a fumble. The Patriots’ pass defense is ranked dead last in the league.

The Patriots’ special teams captain, Slater also some time at safety in 2011 in addition to his limited snaps on offense. He has one catch in 59 career games. Whatever team or role he ends up with in 2012, he won’t be fantasy relevant.

Gronk and the Saints’ Jimmy Graham dominated the field at tight end. The other seven Patriots: QB Tom Brady, WR Wes Welker, LG Logan Mankins, RG Brian Waters, DT Vince Wilfork, DE Andre Carter, and special teamer Matt Slater. The Bengals’ A.J. Green became the first rookie receiver voted to the Pro Bowl since Anquan Boldin in 2003. Quarterback alternates in a weaker AFC field include Tim Tebow and Andy Dalton.