Matthew Slater

New England Patriots extend Matthew Slater through 2017

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The New England Patriots have reportedly extended special teams ace Matthew Slater through the 2017 season.

ESPN’s Field Yates was the first to break the news about Matthew Slater early Wednesday morning:

Selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Slater has established himself as one of the best special teamers of his generation. As evidenced by his streak of five consecutive Pro Bowl nods, Slater is the best special teams ace the league has seen this decade.

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In total, Slater has appeared in 119 regular season games for the Patriots as well as 14 postseason games, which adds almost another season to his resume. On any given Sunday, Slater can be found chasing down punt returners and providing excellent leadership for the younger special teamers he takes under his wing (such as Brandon King last year).

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In 2016, Slater will be counted on to keep up the good work and continue to mentor the likes of King, Kamu-Grugier-Hill and so on. At age 30, Slater still has plenty of good years left in him, at least the Patriots certainly think so, or else they wouldn’t have been so aggressive to extend the son of Hall of Famer Jackie Slater.

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Slater is as exemplary of the Patriot Way as any player on the Patriots roster right now. He goes about his work dutifully and without complaint, setting an example for the rest of the team. Put Slater in the same sentence as Tom Brady and Stephen Gostkowski when it comes to talking about longest-tenured demonstrators of what it means to be a New England Patriot.

Go Pats.