Slater explains returning for 16th season
Special teams ace wants to leave on his own terms
Patriots captain Matthew Slater is already back in the building.
A week after announcing he would return for a 16th NFL season, Slater sat for an interview with Patriots.com to explain his decision. The 37-year-old also addressed the team’s season-ending loss at Buffalo last month, when the Pats allowed two kick return touchdowns on his watch as special teams captain. As for the future, Slater expects to continue taking on a leadership role in Foxboro.
“I do believe that my role at this point is not just about covering kicks, blocking for returners,” Slater said. “I think it’s about fostering culture, building relationships and pouring into young men. You can do that in other capacities but the way you do that as a player is very different. The way you’re able to connect with guys is very different.
“That’s something I still have a lot of passion for and that’s something I certainly wasn’t ready to walk away from. That factored in huge into the decision because I feel like there are certain things you can do as a player that you can’t do as an administrator or as a staff member. Things I felt like were unfinished in terms of relationships and culture so that definitely factored in.”
Slater remains the Patriots’ longest-tenured player and leader, having been voted a captain every season starting in 2011. He is regarded as one of the best special teams players in league history. Last season, Slater recorded 13 special teams tackles, second-most on the team. Over his career, he’s made 10 Pro Bowls and two AllPro teams.
“I did take it hard,” Slater said of the Buffalo loss. “Certainly you don’t want to go out like that, but I think I have to be willing and ready to understand that you don’t get to control how this ends. That’s just the nature of the beast. I’ve talked to my dad (Pro Football Hall of Famer Jackie Slater) a lot about that. He didn’t necessarily end the way he wanted to end.
“As much as I didn’t want that to be the last chapter to my story, I had to accept that it possibly was going to be. That would have been a hard pill to swallow so I’m glad that it’s not and I’m hopeful that I can end things on my own terms. That’s certainly my prayer so we’ll see how it goes.”
The Patriots are still awaiting word whether fellow captain Devin McCourty will return for the 2023 season. McCourty recently said he would decide sometime in early March.
Covington interviews again
Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington is a wanted man.
According to the NFL Network, Covington recently interviewed for the Chargers’ defensive coordinator job. Covington interviewed
for the same position last week with the Arizona Cardinals, who instead hired former Eagles linebackers coach Nick Rallis. The 33-yearold Covington is well-respected in the Patriots’ locker room and considered a rising talent in the coaching ranks.
The Patriots hired Covington in 2017 as a coaching assistant. He was later promoted to outside linebackers coach and has worked with the defensive line since 2020. Covington is among the most experienced assistants on the Pats’ coaching staff and has aspirations of becoming a head coach one day.
The Chargers have also reportedly interviewed University of Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk for the job.
Patricia passed over in Denver
Patriots assistant Matt Patricia interviewed for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator job Wednesday, according to the NFL Network, but lost out to former Denver head coach Vance Joseph.
Patricia, who was replaced as the Patriots’ lead offensive assistant after one season, has been weighing his options since the team began the process
of hiring new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. Patricia could either return in a new role next season, leave the organization or could sit out a year. Other reported candidates for Denver’s defensive coordinator position included former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan and Seahawks defensive coordinator Sean Desai.
Under Patricia, the Patriots offense averaged 18.1 per game and endured its worst statistical season since 1995. Last offseason, Pats coach Bill Belichick opted to hire Patricia and former quarterbacks coach Joe Judge instead of replacing Josh McDaniels
with an experienced offensive coordinator. Judge, who oversaw a statistical regression by quarterback Mac Jones, will reportedly be moved into a new position yet to be announced.
Prior to his stint as the Patriots’ offensive playcaller, Patricia served as their defensive coordinator from 2012-17 and helped win two Super Bowls. In 2018, he left to become the head coach in Detroit, where he lasted for two and a half seasons. Patricia returned to the Patriots in January 2021 in a senior football advisor role before Belichick handed him the keys to the offense a year later.