Matthew Slater is sticking around for a 16th season in New England. James White believes that's a big win for the Patriots.
During an appearance this week on the "Pats Interference Football Podcast," White explained the importance of having a player like Slater in the locker room to guide New England's younger generation.
Slater, who turns 38 in September, has been a Patriots captain for the last 12 seasons and is one of the few remaining members from the franchise's most recent Super Bowl team.
"I thought this would be the year for him, but I do that every single year wondering if this is going to be the last one for him," White, the former Patriots running back and co-captain, told host Andrew Callahan. "But I think it's very important to keep guys like him and Dev (Devin McCourty) in that locker room, especially with a lot of younger guys coming into that building. They keep the culture that's been there for so, so long and make sure those guys stay on the straight and narrow and are willing to buy into the process.
"Because these young guys, they're different. The social media era, it's a lot different than six, seven years ago. Guys come in expecting a lot when they walk into that door, but you've got to work for everything that you get when you come in that building."
Just seven Patriots players currently under contract for the upcoming season were with the team when it won its most recent championship in 2018: center David Andrews, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, offensive tackle Trent Brown, defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, defensive end Deatrich Wise and now Slater, who re-signed last week ahead of free agency.
Of that group, only Andrews and Slater were part of the 2016 squad that beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, and Slater is the lone remaining member of the '14 team that knocked off the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLIX.
McCourty also is a three-time champion and longtime captain, but he has yet to announce whether he plans to play next season or retire. The soon-to-be 36-year-old safety said he doesn't expect to make his final decision until around the March 15 start of free agency.
The Patriots' crop of impending free agents also includes Super Bowl winners Jonathan Jones (2016, '18) Joe Cardona ('16, 18), James Ferentz ('18) and Marcus Cannon ('14, '16, '18).
Slater said mentorship and guidance of his younger teammates will be a major part of his role in 2023, telling Patriots.com he'll emphasize "fostering culture, building relationships and pouring into young men."
"You can do that in other capacities, but the way you do that as a player is very different," he said. "The way you’re able to connect with guys is very different. That's something I still have a lot of passion for, and that’s something I certainly wasn’t ready to walk away from. That factored in huge into the decision (to keep playing)."
