New England Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater had two choices this offseason. He was going to return to his team of 14 years — or retire. So when coach Bill Belichick extended an offer to play a 15th year, Slater didn’t have much to think about. He jumped at the opportunity.
“Thankfully, I didn’t lose any more hair — because I didn’t have any more to lose — during the negotiations,” Slater said on Thursday during a meeting with the media over videoconference.
Slater signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal with New England. The captain will again be at the center of the locker room — and strengthening a special teams unit which even Slater admitted struggled in 2021. The contract negotiations, however, were not a struggle at all.
“Without getting into too much detail, they weren’t very difficult,” Slater said. “We’re not negotiating an $80 million contract here. It was nice to have a conversation with Bill about where he saw me, where he saw me moving forward, where I saw myself and what that would look like. I appreciate coach taking the time to sit down with me and discuss that. And I have always appreciated coach just for the opportunity he’s given me to be a part of this football team and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.”
Slater joined the team as a fifth-round draft choice out of UCLA, and he couldn’t have landed in a better fit than under Belichick, who has helped the special teams ace make 10 Pro Bowls and win three Super Bowls.
“For him to want me back, it really means a lot to me. For me to have the chance to play 15 years in this place, I mean I never one that I’d have the opportunity to do that. I was just trying to squeeze on a practice squad when I got here. So it’s been a surreal ride,” he said.
With the Patriots tight on salary cap space, Slater’s deal drew scrutiny within local media. He is, after all, a special teams player who doesn’t contribute on the field on offense or defense — units that seemed to need plenty of help after a playoff drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Some think Slater is back for another year to serve as an emotional leader.
“I don’t think Bill keeps guys around just to say rah-rah-sis-cum-bah when the time comes. I think he wants me to do the things that I’ve always done over the course of my career both on the field and off the field,” Slater said. “Hopefully, I hold up my end of the bargain.”
