Patriots’ Matthew Slater announces retirement

Matthew Slater, longtime captain and special teams ace for the New England Patriots, announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Slater released a lengthy statement through the Patriots on X, thanking as many people as he could for what they meant to him throughout his 16-year NFL career. Slater earned two First Team All-Pro selections and three second-team honors, consistently delivering elite play in special teams coverage.

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“Pats Nation, it has been an honor to represent the silver, red, white, and blue for 16 years,” Slater’s statement reads, in part. “Thank you for cheering, challenging and supporting our team each and every year.”

Slater also gave a big message of thanks to his former head coach, Bill Belichick, who parted ways with the Patriots after the 2023 season.

“To Coach Belichick: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pursue my childhood dream,” Slater wrote. “Thank you for your belief in me. You took a chance on me and kept me around when many would not have. It is a great honor to know that I played for the best coach in the history of the league.”

Slater may have a case to be considered for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Multiple All-Pro nods significantly bolster his resume, especially as a guy who played a position that doesn’t typically get a bust in Canton. But Slater’s sustained high level of performance over his career, and his reputation around the league as a teammate and captain, could land him on the ballot some day.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt's content.

After weeks of reports of various hirings, the New England Patriots formally announced the new members of their 2024 coaching staff on Monday.

With Monday's announcement, the picture of the coaching staff is filled out. Pending any late, lower-level additions, here's what the group looks like under head coach Jerod Mayo.

Offensive coordinator: Alex Van Pelt

Quarterbacks: T.C. McCartney

Running backs coach: Taylor Embree

Wide receivers coach: Tyler Hughes

Assistant wide receivers coach: Tiquan Underwood

Tight ends coach: Bob Bicknell

Offensive line coach: Scott Peters

Assistant offensive line coach: Robert Kugler

Senior offensive assistant: Ben McAdoo

Offensive assistant: Michael McCarthy

Defensive coordinator: DeMarcus Covington*

Defensive line coach: Jerry Montgomery

Inside linebackers coach: Dont'a Hightower

Outside linebackers coach: Drew Wilkins

Cornerbacks coach: Mike Pellegrino*

Safeties coach: Brian Belichick*

Defensive assistant: Vinny DePalma

Defensive assistant: Jamael Lett

Special teams coordinator: Jeremy Springer

Assistant special teams coach: Tom Quinn

Assistant special teams coach: Coby Tippett

Strength & conditioning coach: Deron Mayo*

Assistant strength & conditioning coach: Brian McDonough

*Returning from 2023 staff

Coaches previously reported to be returning weren't included in the release. That group is made up of cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, safeties coach Brian Belichick, and strength and conditioning coach Deron Mayo.

Now that the full coaching roster has finally been made official, here are some big picture takeaways on the Patriots' 2024 coaching staff...

The first thing that stands out about this staff is simply the number of coaches on it. Last year the Patriots had 17 coaches titled at assistant positional coach or higher. This year, that number is 21 (with potentially more on the way).

As ESPN's Mike Reiss pointed out over the weekend, under Bill Belichick the Patriots tended to have among the NFL's smallest coaching staffs "partly because [Belichick] wanted to ensure there were no mixed messages." However, the number is bigger as Mayo takes over because, according to Reiss, "the desire to integrate ideas and perspectives from those who have coached elsewhere -- and is also perhaps a nod to how rare Belichick was in terms of having the knack to handle so many responsibilities himself."

Based on their early interviews, it seemed like the Patriots' coaching staff was going to trend on the younger side this year. In the end the group is only slightly younger than the 2023 staff, and more staggered in age.

The average age of the Patriots' 2023 coaching staff was 37.3 years old. However, 71-year-old Belichick skewed that number a bit, and the average age of all the assistants was actually 37.3. As things stand now, this year's average age of the Patriots' coaches is 36.6 years old (37-year-0ld head coach Jerod Mayo only moves the number by a small fraction).

Last year, the Patriots had two coaches in their 50s, three in their 40s, and just one in his 20s. For their 2024 staff the Patriots will have three coaches in their 50s, four in their 40s, and two in their 20s. Everybody else is in their 30s.

This announcement leaves the status of two of last year's coaches up in the air - Troy Brown and Joe Judge. Both of their previous jobs were filled, suggesting the team is moving on from both without any sort of official announcement. If either does return (it was recently reported that the team extended Brown, the now-former wide receivers coach, an opportunity to do so), it would most likely be in a new role.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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