Matthew Slater, a key player in one of the NFL’s greatest ever dynasties, has announced his retirement after 16 seasons with the New England Patriots.
Slater was a key component of the Patriots’ successful run under head coach Bill Belichick, providing leadership and excellence on kick and punt returns.
“For the last 25 years of my life, 16 of them as a New England Patriot, I have been incredibly blessed to be able to emulate the man I saw on those fields in Meridian by playing the game that I love so much,” the 38-year-old Slater wrote in a statement on the Patriots’ website on Tuesday.