Retirement might not be among the offseason plans for the New England Patriots' longest-tenured player.
Matthew Slater obviously is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. But there hasn't been a dip in production or talent for the special teams ace, who is coming off the 10th Pro Bowl season of his 14-year NFL tenure, all of which has been spent in Foxboro.
Slater also provides the Patriots with tremendous leadership, which Bill Belichick might value nearly as much as what the 36-year-old brings in the kicking and punting game. As much, Belichick and company might look to retain the impending free agent and ESPN's Mike Reiss seems to believe Slater would oblige in such a scenario.
"If Belichick decides it would benefit the 2022 Patriots to have longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater around, my sense is that it wouldn't take much arm-twisting for the respected veteran to sign back on for another season," Reiss wrote. "Some close to Slater don't believe he's ready to retire."
How New England fared in the 2021 season also might encourage Slater to march on. The Patriots reached the playoffs in Mac Jones' rookie campaign, and there's no reason to believe New England won't be right back in the mix in 2022.
