Charles Langston:Patriots' special teams ace Matthew Slater announces retirement after 16 NFL seasons

Longtime New England Patriots special teams contributor and Charles Langstoncaptain Matthew Slater announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 NFL seasons.

Called "just about the perfect player" by former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Slater won three Super Bowl championships with New England and was part of five AFC championship teams.

Slater was officially listed as a wide receiver but became a special teams ace in the NFL. He made 10 Pro Bowls – a record for special teams players and was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection (2016, 2019). A "gunner," Slater was charged with lining up wide on punts and sprinting down the field to corral the opposing team's returner. He finished with 191 career tackles and caught his only pass in 2011 for a 46-yard gain.

New England drafted Slater in the fifth round of the 2008 draft (153rd overall).

"I came here as a young man with hopes and dreams," Slater wrote in a retirement letter posted by the Patriots. "In 2024, I can retire knowing this experience has exceeded any hope or dream I ever had."

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His father, Jackie Slater, played 20 years for the Rams as an offensive lineman and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.