Matthew Slater talked retirement, potential NFL kickoff changes on former Patriots teammate Chris Long’s podcast
“I never expected to have a chance to retire from the NFL. I just assumed the game would be done with me before I was done with it.”
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Longtime Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater officially retired from football last month.
After collecting three Super Bowl victories, 10 Pro Bowl selections, and two All-Pro honors, Slater hung up his cleats for good following 16 seasons in New England and the NFL.
The 38-year-old joined his former teammate and fellow Super Bowl LI champion Chris Long on Long’s “Green Light” podcast to discuss his retirement, the Patriots’ brand-new coaching staff, and the NFL’s proposed kickoff rule changes.
When asked about when he knew it was time to call it a career, Slater explained what went into his decision.
“Last offseason, as my wife and I were thinking about this season, we kind of decided this would be it based off where I was physically, where we are as a family,” Slater said. “We have four kids and she just needed me home more. I wanted to be home more. So we kind of made the decision last year that this would be the last go around.”
Slater said that his decision wasn’t an easy one, and that his final game was especially tough to experience.
“It was very emotional. It was tough,” Slater said. “I feel as though – as I’m getting older – I’ve become softer. So it’s hard to hold a front and to act like you’re doing okay. It was certainly hard that last game, that last week, were very tough. … I was just overwhelmed with gratitude. I never expected to have a chance to retire from the NFL, I just assumed the game would be done with me before I was done with it. … It was emotional because this is a game I love.”
Now that he’s an outsider, Slater had the opportunity to talk about what the Patriots’ coaching staff looks like post-Bill Belichick. He gave his thoughts about how first-year head coach Jerod Mayo will tackle the ‘Patriot Way’ his own way.
“I don’t think the Patriot Way changes philosophically,” Slater said. “Maybe the way it’s applied and executed changes, but all those things in terms of doing your job, working hard, putting the team first, I think those are principles you can apply in almost any arena, right? It would be smart of Jerod to continue to try to work toward those principles. … He’s gonna be different. He’s gonna be laughing, joking, having a good time, and that’s fine. I think he needs to operate within his strengths.
“The last 24 years, that place had a lot of success. I don’t think you want to burn it to the ground and forget what was done there. He’s gotta find his middle ground and go from there.”
Long went on to ask Slater about the NFL’s potential kickoff rule changes, something that could be voted on at this month’s league meeting. The NFL is interested in adopting the XFL’s kickoff rules as a means to encourage more, longer returns and reduce player collisions.
“It’s really disappointing that this play is being jeopardized,” Slater said. “I can say this because I’m no longer an employee of the NFL. This is CYA (see ya) all the way. They’re trying to do what they can to minimize blowbacks from players, from the public, in terms of head injuries.
“This is easy pickings: the kickoff. Which, in their mind, the rate of injury is higher. … I’ll say this: There are inherent risks with football. You know that, I know that. All of us have signed up and agreed to those risks.
“There are certain things that needed to be taken out of the game that we have taken out of the game. But this isn’t one of them. You’re going down a slippery slope. What are you gonna do next, take out the iso lead where the fullback’s running up in there like a battering ram? … I’m concerned that eventually they’re gonna do away with the play.”
Slater spoke out against the NFL’s kickoff changes implemented for the 2023 season during OTAs in May, expressing similar sentiments about the league’s decision.
Nonetheless, Slater did say he looks forward to watching football as a fan and on the couch with his family in 2024.
“[I will] probably [be] in my basement somewhere with my sons, yelling at the TV like every other fan,” Slater said. “It’s definitely gonna be strange.
“I look forward to it. I look forward to not having my knees hurt, not having my neck hurt, not having all these things hurt, and just enjoying the game that I love. Obviously, I’ll be pulling for the good guys and hoping they can turn things around.”
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