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Patriots' Matthew Slater: 'Disappointing' It Seems NFL Wants to Eliminate Kickoffs

New England Patriots veteran Matthew Slater has made a career of being a special teams star, and he is concerned the NFL is moving away from the kickoff.

"It's very disappointing," he said of his belief that the league wants to eventually eliminate kickoffs, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.

The veteran also pointed out the Patriots have covered eight kickoffs and returned seven through their first eight games this season. By comparison, they covered 17 and returned 18 through eight games during the 2022 campaign.

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No special teams player has been named to more Pro Bowls than Matthew Slater (9) (via @nflthrowback)<br><br>ud83dudcfa: <a href="https://twitter.