At the beginning of the Patriots’ offseason program this Monday, the current players were joined by someone who retired after last season.
Longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater retired after the 2023 season, but he was seen at the facility interacting with his former teammates. Safety Jabrill Peppers was among them, and he explained what Slater is doing with the team this offseason.
“It said advisor — whatever that means,” Peppers said, via Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “As long as I get to bounce some knowledge off of him and see him around the locker room, having Slate in the locker room, he uplifted spirits and always knew what to say. So I’m happy we kept him in the building.”
Peppers believes “this is his way to stay engaged but take the load off of his body,” and it’s unclear if Slater will stay with the team full-time.