New England Patriots distinctive teams star Matthew Slater announced his retirement with an emotional letter to Pats state on Tuesday. He wraps up a 16-year NFL profession with 10 Pro Bowl nominations, five first-team All-Pro honors and three more second-team All-Pro awards.
The Patriots chosen Slater in the fifth spherical of the 2008 NFL Draft. He’s found a home in Foxboro every season considering then.
A message from Matthew Slater. pic.twitter.com/diVYMtAapu
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 20, 2024
“In 2008, I came right here as a young man with hopes and dreams,” Slater wrote. “In 2024, I can retire understanding this journey has passed any hope or dream I ever had.”He was a receiver and part-time defender at UCLA. But he was once an ace on distinct teams, specifically on returns. He also boasted magnificent NFL bloodlines. His dad, Jackie Slater, used to be an offensive address who performed two decades with the Rams on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Patriots traded up to snag him and it’s paid off ever since.
Bill Belichick: Slater is the best special teams player of all-time
Before he coached his last season for the Patriots, Bill Belichick named-checked a ton of distinct crew all-stars but had Slater at the top of the list.
“When you have the probability to instruct gamers that are wonderful in areas, and that of course includes the specialists,” Belichick said. “Guys like Adam Vinatieri and (Stephen) Gostkowski, don’t want to take some thing away from them, either. And excellent punters like (Sean) Landeta and (Dave) Jennings and so forth.
“But the specific groups coverage guys — and we’ve had a lot of them — again in the Giants, you know, with Reyna Thompson, and first-rate returners like (Dave) Meggett and (Julian) Edelman and Troy Brown and all that. But as a core specific teams player, Slater surely is, I’d say, been the first-class of all time. I hope he receives identified for that
