page_title: Matthew Slater
section_title: 2016 season
hierarchical_section_title: Matthew Slater / Professional career / 2016 season
caption_attribution_description: English: Slater warms up before a game in 2016
context_page_description: Matthew Wilson Slater is an American football special teamer for the New England Patriots. He played college football at UCLA, and was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. A three-time Super Bowl champion, Slater has made eight Pro Bowls as a special teamer and is widely recognized to be one of the NFL's premier players at that position.
context_section_description: On August 31, 2016, Slater signed a one-year contract extension with the Patriots through 2017.
  Slater continued to be a standout on special teams. On December 20, Slater earned his sixth Pro Bowl nomination. The Slaters now held the most Pro Bowl nods of an active father-son pair with 13. He was also named First-team All-Pro as a special teamer for the fourth time in his career. On January 4, 2017, Slater was announced as the winner of the Bart Starr Award, given annually to a player who exemplifies character and leadership on and off the field. His father received this honor in 1996, and together they became the first father-son pair to be honored with this prestigious award. Slater helped the Patriots finish with a 14–2 record. On February 5, 2017, Slater was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl LI. In the game, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime. Slater had a role as special teams captain and successfully called the coin toss before overtime began.
caption: Slater warms up before a game in 2016
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