The Patriots have been relatively quiet during a splashy NFL offseason, but they still secured an all-time great in free agency. That's according to coach Bill Belichick, who recently had high praise for longtime special teamer Matthew Slater. After re-signing the 36-year-old veteran to a one-year, $2.62 million fully guaranteed deal, Belichick compared Slater to Tom Brady and Lawrence Taylor, two Hall of Fame talents he's previously coached.
"(He) will go up there, in the kicking game, with Brady on offense and Taylor on defense," Belichick said, per ESPN. "So I feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach all ... players, but I'd say those three in particular."
A fifth-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2008, Slater has spent his entire 15-year NFL career in New England. An eight-time All-Pro who's also secured Bart Starr and Art Rooney awards for sportsmanship, he's been a team captain for 11 straight seasons, according to ESPN, and leads all special-teamers with 10 career Pro Bowl nods.
Slater has played almost exclusively on special teams, specifically as a gunner on kickoffs and punts, but is officially listed as a wide receiver and made an emergency start on defense, at safety, early in his career. Named to the Patriots' 2010s All-Decade Team, he's the son of former Rams offensive lineman Jackie Slater, a Hall of Fame inductee.
