Patriots players honor Matthew Slater is what could be captain’s last game

FOXBORO — Matthew Slater still wasn’t ready to be committal about his football future after Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Jets, but it certainly seemed like his teammates believed the Patriots captain was playing his last game in the 2023 season finale.

Patriots players and owner Robert Kraft donned custom-made sweatshirts that read “The Patriot” on the front and “Captain 18” on the back. On the sleeve, it listed his accomplishments: “son, father, husband, teammate, 10-time Pro Bowl selection, three-time Super Bowl Champion, 13-time team captain, five-time All-Pro.”

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Patriots players were mostly unsure where the hoodies came from, but one of Slater’s teammates said that team equipment manager Preston “Stick” Rogers was handing them out. Slater said after the game that he didn’t know who made them but he suspected that “Stick” was involved.

“I was blown away by it,” Slater said of the gesture. “I never wanted anything about my experience here to be about me, so it did make me a little uncomfortable. But to have the guys do that, I’ll never be able to put that into words as long as I live. It meant a lot to me.”

Rookie wide receiver DeMario Douglas had his sweatshirt signed by Slater in his locker after the game.

Slater met with his parents and brother on the field before the game. The Patriots posted pictures of Slater with owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, fellow captains David Andrews and Ja’Whaun Bentley and long snapper Joe Cardona to social media.

The longtime special-teams captain said this week that he would talk to his wife and family about his football future after Sunday’s game. Still, he was asked after the game if he had made a decision about retirement.

“Let’s talk about that another day,” Slater said. “Just want to express my thanks to the guys in that locker room today. So, very appreciative of all the love and support that I received this whole season, certainly today and this week. I’m just proud to be part of that group.

“Even though the season was what it was, to come in every day and be able to work with those guys really meant a lot to me.”

Belichick has spoken about Slater’s impact on the team at length last week and through the years. He offered more praise after Sunday’s loss.

“On a daily basis, he’s just exemplary,” Belichick said after the game. “And to watch his growth from, you know, when he was a rookie coming out of UCLA and trying to find a little bit of position on offense and defense and ultimately becoming as good a special teams player that has ever played this game. Certainly, he has everything to back that up based on his long, sustained success and being the targeted guy every week. Then his leadership and presence for the team, not just the players, for the organization, the staff. I mean, he’s an inspiration to all of us.”

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