New England Patriots: 3 Players that should be re-signed in 2018 NFL Free Agency
3. Matthew Slater
I kicked around who to put in this third spot a lot. The top two were pretty obvious for me, but the Patriots have a lot of their own upcoming free agents who they should probably at least be in contact with.
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In the end, it came down to Dion Lewis and Matthew Slater. Lewis exploded onto the scene as the Patriots’ primary running back last season. His overall skill set in the backfield is incredibly impressive and he is bound to receive a ton of attention on the open market. However, running back is the most replaceable position in the NFL and the Patriots have shown the ability to find adequate players at the position for many years. I’d love to see Lewis back, but I can only imagine that there will be other teams willing to spend more on him than the Patriots.
Slater, on the other hand, will not be as coveted in free agency. There simply is not much of a market for a guy who only plays on special teams. That being said, nobody values special teams like Belichick, and Slater is the best in the business.
He has been a special teams ace for the Pats for many years, including serving as a team captain for the last six seasons. It is difficult to put a value on a guy who primarily just covers kicks, but Slater’s impact on special teams is obvious if you pay attention. Simply put, he is one of the best kick coverage players in the NFL and that is backed up by seven consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Add in his obvious leadership abilities and the Patriots have a player who they would hate to see get away.
I fully expect the Patriots to make Slater a free agent priority but the market will allow them to keep his contract cheap. He will probably sign something similar to the one-year, $1.8 million deal he did last offseason.