New England Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater officially hung up his cleats on Tuesday, after 16 years of playing in the NFL.
Current and past teammates have been congratulating Slater on social media since the announcement. One of those players is Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who claimed Slater was the “best to ever do it” in a tribute post in his Instagram stories.
Jones and Slater have been teammates for the previous three seasons. The level-headed Slater often showed his support for Jones, especially throughout last season, as the Alabama product struggled. Slater was well-liked by his teammates, and that included Jones.
#Patriots QB Mac Jones shouts out Matthew Slater:
“Legend. Thank you 18!!!#SlateDawgie!!! Best to ever do it!!!”
(IG: @macjones_10) pic.twitter.com/edsSDrat7H
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) February 20, 2024
It’s becoming a common theme this offseason seeing a Patriots mainstay leave in some form or fashion. Bill Belichick parted ways with the organization after the season, and the team recently released Lawrence Guy and Adrian Phillips.
It truly is a new era for Patriots football in more ways than one.
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