Patriots’ Matthew Slater reflects ahead of what might be his final game in NFL

"I think Slater is eventually going to be a Hall of Fame candidate."

Matthew Slater could be closing out his NFL career on Sunday against the Jets. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)

January 4, 2024

2 minutes to read

Most of the narrative hovering over the Patriots these days revolves around whether Sunday will stand as the end of Bill Belichick’s final season in New England.

But it could also mark the end for another pillar of New England’s dynasty in special-teams ace and captain Matthew Slater.

The 38-year-old Slater has not yet decided whether he will hang up his cleats following Sunday’s season finale against the Jets. But as he reflects ahead of what could be his final game in the NFL, the 10-time Pro Bowler was asked on Thursday about how he wants to be remembered in Foxborough.

“The thing that I value most — the thing that I hope people remember me by when my time is up, is what I did off the football field,” Slater told reporters on Thursday at Gillette Stadium. “How I engaged with the community. How I tried to use my platform the right way: To connect with people, uplift them and bring the people around me up.

“That’s always been my approach. And that stems from my faith in Christ. I believe He was a great servant, a great leader, and I’ve tried to emulate that in every aspect of my life. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but I hope when people think about me they don’t just think about a guy that was running up and down covering kicks, but they think about a guy who tried to pursue manhood to the best of his ability. Tried to help the people around him to the best of his ability. And tried to serve others to the best of his ability.”

Aside from his leadership within New England’s locker room over his 16-year career, Slater established himself as one of the greatest special-teams players in league history. He earned eight All-Pro nods over the course of his time in New England.

Bill Belichick has regularly sung the praises of Slater, who played a key role in helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls during his extended tenure with the franchise.

“I think Slater is eventually going to be a Hall of Fame candidate,” Belichick said of Slater’s legacy last week. “As a coverage player, not as a specialist. For what he is, he’s not a returner. So, he’s in a very unique category. One that I don’t think is represented in the Hall of Fame, but based on what he did during his career, the length of time he did it, and the level he’s done it at. Again, since there’s no criteria for the Hall of Fame, there’s no criteria.

“But I would say this guy has been as productive as anybody has ever been at his position throughout his entire career, which is very lengthy. I think he’s the best that’s ever done what he’s done, whether that’s Hall of Fame worthy or not, that’s a different subject that I don’t have a say in. I can’t imagine putting anybody in there ahead of him at that position.”