The Patriots last Friday announced special teams captain Matthew Slater is returning for a 16th season with a franchise.
Don't expect an imminent declaration from New England's other longtime locker room leader.
Safety Devin McCourty said Tuesday on "The Patriots Report" podcast that he plans to wait several more weeks before deciding whether to retire or continue playing.
"I've gone back and forth," McCourty told host Christopher Price. "I think the good thing is I actually have a vacation coming up with the family, and then I'm going to go hang out with (twin brother Jason McCourty) for a week. I think just being able to get away from football, especially as you kind of get older, I think it helps you put things in perspective doing other things."
After his family vacation wraps up, McCourty has a weeklong stint scheduled as a guest host on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," where his brother has worked since his own retirement last offseason. He said to not expect a decision from him until the middle of next month, around the March 15 start of NFL free agency.
"Then it'll be early March, second week in March, and we'll start to, I think for me and my wife, decide and plan what the next year looks like," said McCourty, who is an impending free agent. "I think that's around the time where free agency will be coming up, so it'll be the right time to really start digging in and make a decision."
McCourty, who turns 36 in August and has spent his entire 13-year career in New England, said this offseason is the first time he's seriously considered retirement.
"My wife always jokes with me because this is probably the first year that I've actually thought about it," he said. "Usually, I say that. I would say over the last two or three years, (I'd say) I'm thinking about it, but as soon as the offseason hits, I've gone right back into working out and doing what I've always done to get ready for the season.
"But I will say I've been very fortunate to have a twin brother who, last year we had so many conversations as he was rehabbing his foot and ultimately trying to make that (retirement) decision. We would just talk about what you think it's going to be like, your plans and everything. And I think even talking to him, it didn't hit him fully until that video he did with his kids and everything. He posted it, and I remember he texted me and he was like, 'Man, it's really over now.' ...
"And I think that's the thing for all of us as athletes. It's something I've been doing since I was 10 years old, so the thought of not getting ready to go, the thought of not playing in the game, even though you think about it, I don't think it ever becomes real until you do it."
Though he was one of the oldest players on the Patriots' roster, McCourty still was effective this season, playing 97% of defensive snaps and tying for the team lead with four interceptions. A 12-time team captain, he has not missed a game since 2015 and serves a key role as New England's primary defensive communicator.
McCourty has trialed a post-playing career in media over the past few months, making multiple appearances as a guest analyst for CBS Sports. He's not closing the door on a potential return, however, and said he's now being recruited by Slater following the latter's choice to delay retirement and play in 2023.
"I look forward to next year and I see me doing different things," McCourty said. "I also see me playing. I think that's the really hard thing about trying to decide what's best for you and your family."
McCourty's ultimate decision will have a significant impact on the Patriots' offseason plans, as they don't have an obvious internal replacement for him.
Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips and free-agent-to-be Jabrill Peppers can play McCourty's free safety position but are better suited for other spots. Starting cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones and slot corner Myles Bryant also have free safety experience but never have played there full-time. (Jones will be an unrestricted free agent, and Bryant is an RFA.)
If McCourty retires, the Patriots might need to look toward free agency -- where Cincinnati's Jessie Bates III and Buffalo's Jordan Poyer headline a deep class of available veterans -- or the 2023 NFL Draft to find his successor.
