When the Patriots gathered for the start of their offseason program this Monday, the current players were joined by someone who hung up his cleats at the end of last season.
Longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater retired after the end of the 2023 season, but he was spotted at the facility interacting with a number of his former teammates. Safety Jabrill Peppers was part of that group and he shed some light on what Slater is doing with the team this offseason.
“It said advisor — whatever that means,” Peppers said, via Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “As long as I get to bounce some knowledge off of him and see him around the locker room, having Slate in the locker room, he uplifted spirits and always knew what to say. So I’m definitely happy we kept him in the building.”
Peppers said he believes “this is his way to stay engaged but take the load off of his body” and it’s unclear at present whether Slater will be remaining with the team on a full-time basis.