The New England Patriots were lucky to land safety Devin McCourty as a re-signing this offseason because it led to retaining captain Matt Slater.
Or so Slater says.
The Patriots special teams ace discussed the prospect of entering free agency this week (or retirement), and said he didn’t want to return to the NFL if McCourty wasn’t joining him,=.
“I was joking with [Devin]. I said ‘I’m not coming back unless you’re coming back,” Slater said with a chuckle. “I realize how special it is to have a chance to play alongside a guy for 13 years and Devin’s not just anyone, he’s one of the best men I’ve ever known. It’s been a tremendous example for me to follow both on and off the field and honestly, at this point in my career, it would be tough playing without him. There’s certain guys that you really just learn to lean on and depend on and he’s one of those guys.”
Slater entered the NFL in 2008 and established himself as one of the premier special teams players. McCourty entered the NFL in 2010 and did the same as a defensive back. They’ve never played on an NFL team without each other.
