Longtime New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is going to enjoy retirement.
Slater — who ranks second in Patriots history in games played at 239, only behind Tom Brady — announced his retirement a couple months prior back in February. The decision came after 16 seasons spent with New England and marked the end of an era when one also considers that the Patriots and Bill Belichick agreed to move in separate directions.
The 38-year-old attributes wanting to spend more time with his family as the main reason for his decision. Slater has four children with his wife, Shahrzad.
“My family was certainly the number one reason for that decision,” explains Slater in a one-on-one interview. “But I think as a competitor and as an athlete you understand that things change. You understand that physically, your body changes. You understand the demands of your life change. I was kind of at that point in my life. It felt like the right time to walk away.”
Slater — who is the son of Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jackie Slater — said there was no push back from the organization on his decision to retire.
“No,” says Slater. “Once I made the decision, I think everybody in the building accepted it and it felt like the right time.”
While Slater may not be the household name that other longtime Patriots like Brady, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are, he played a pivotal role on three Super Bowl-winning teams and had served as the special teams captain since 2011. In fact, Slater was so respected as a gunner to the point where he was named to 10 Pro Bowls — the most in NFL history for special teams players — and eight All-Pro squads.
However, there’s a changing of the guard in New England as the Patriots embrace a new era. For the first time in 25 years, Belichick will no longer be the head coach of the franchise. Slater played his entire career under Belichick and explained that it was hard to “envision” himself playing for another coach.
Jerod Mayo — who was part of Slater’s draft class in 2008 and was his teammate for eight seasons — will now serve as the Patriots’ head coach.
“It would have been hard — I couldn’t envision myself playing for another coach professionally,” says Slater. “That would have been very strange.”
Slater doubles down on his decision to walk away, once again saying it was the “right time.”
“It was the right time,” says Slater. “Everybody knew that. Jerod (Mayo) knew that, the Kraft (Robert) family knew. It was a good time for all of us.”
Matthew Slater on Media Portrayal of Bill Belichick
Belichick has been the source of scrutiny in recent months. The docuseries — which covers the Patriots’ dynasty over the course of two decades — featured a one-sided slant of the coaching legend in a negative light.
Slater actually recently appeared on Edelman’s podcast “Games With Names” and expressed dissatisfaction at how their former coach was portrayed in the series.
Because of Belichick’s struggles as head coach following Brady’s departure — New England went 29-38 in four seasons after he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — combined with the latter’s Super Bowl win in Tampa Bay, it has made the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach an easy target.
Slater admits that the recent media portrayal of Belichick has been unfair.
“It’s disappointing that he’s been portrayed the way that he has,” says Slater. “There’s certainly a lot of negativity that’s out there. People are very complex and the experiences we have — personally and professionally — are not black and white. I think overall, for most of us — if not all of us — who have had experiences with coach (Belichick), we’re appreciative of what he’s done for us. I personally wish that it could have been a time of celebration, especially with ‘The Dynasty’ to celebrate all the things that we’ve accomplished instead of focusing on some of those more challenging aspects.”
While Slater will no longer be suiting up on Sundays, he’ll remain within the organization as an advisor.
That means Slater will still be around the players and Mayo moving forward. The special teams standout mentions the 38-year-old rookie coach’s “leadership” and his ability to “inspire” as reasons why he’s the right guy as the Patriots’ new head coach. Mayo had served as New England’s inside linebackers coach over the past five years.
“The number one thing is his leadership,” says Slater of Mayo. “He’s one of the smartest people. He’s well-versed, he can do a little bit of everything.”
Is Matthew Slater a Hall of Fame Player?
Slater’s impact on the Patriots over the years goes beyond pure numbers. Belichick actually referred to Slater as the “best” that’s ever done what he’s done on special teams.
“I think he’s the best that’s ever done what he’s done,” Belichick told reporters late last season. “He’s in a very unique category, one that I don’t think is represented in the Hall of Fame …Whether that’s Hall of Fame-worthy or not, that’s a different subject that I don’t have a say in. But I can’t imagine putting anybody in there ahead of him at that position.”
New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers actually referred to Slater as a Hall-of-Famer while meeting with him during his last game.
It remains to be seen if voters will elect Slater — who certainly has the accolades — to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame has not been too kind to special teams-centric players, with just four specialists having been elected. Not a single player known as a gunner has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with the Buffalo Bills’ Steve Tasker probably the most similar player to Slater.
While time will tell if voters will recognize Slater’s greatness in the annals of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Slater won’t be too occupied with those thoughts — he’ll be “prioritizing” family time more than anything else.
“Our family has sacrificed so much with me playing football,” says Slater. “Now it’s really an opportunity to connect and create memories and be intentional about the way I’m parenting my kids. My family is going to be my priority in life. I look forward to being there and the things I’ve missed over the past 16 years.”
One of those ways that Slater is prioritizing family time is his partnership with LEGOLAND New York, where the Patriots great — along with the Philadelphia Eagles players Brandon Graham and Parris Campbell Jr. — celebrated with each of their families at the inaugural “Pros of Play Day.” Each of the players’ families participated in games and challenges, including a blindfold build of a LEGO model and a dance-off contest against a LEGOLAND character.
“We did different games and contests at the park — which was such a blast,” says Slater. “We had a ton of fun. My kids had so much fun. They’re doing this ‘play time off’ initiative. Which is encouraging parents to get out and play with their kids. Just be active as a family and create great memories.”
Visitors to the theme park can experience the same challenges that Slater and his family took part in as part of their “Day of Play” initiative on Friday, April 26. They can participate in the challenges and use hashtags #LEGOLANDNY and #PlayTimeOff for a chance to win tickets.
“Overall, you have to get behind the message of kids and parents creating memories through play,” says Slater.
