Since 2008, ten-time Pro Bowl special teams star Matthew Slater has played a role in the New England Patriots organization in some capacity. But unfortunately, that will finally come to an end in 2025.
Slater played for the organization from 2008 to 2023, experiencing a ton of success in the process as a three-time Super Bowl champion.
This was enough for former head coach Jerod Mayo to keep Slater around in a special assistant role when Slater called it quits on his playing career following the 2023 season.
Unfortunately, he will not be with the Patriots organization in 2025 now that new head coach Mike Vrabel is in town.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Slater’s position as a special assistant won’t carry over to Vrabel’s new regime, leaving him without a role in the Patriots organization.
Some may not see Slater’s departure as that big of a deal considering he is traditionally thought of just as a great special teams coach.
However, he has been much more for that in New England through one season, particularly when it comes to the development of rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
According to Maye himself in a recent interview on SiriusXM Radio, Slater was a key mentor to him in “all aspects of life” throughout his rookie season.
Slater has a wealth of experience as an NFL player that is certainly valuable on any coaching staff. So it’s somewhat shocking to see that Vrabel doesn’t want him around.
But then again, considering Slater was from a past regime, maybe Vrabel just wants to have his own coaching staff around that he trusts entirely, which is understandable.
