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.
