Background and career
Matthew Wilson Slater (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New England Patriots. A special teams player for most of his career, Slater is considered one of the greatest gunners of all time. Slater played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2007. He was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. Slater holds the record for special teams Pro Bowl selections at 10, which he set between 2011 and 2021. Slater also received two first-team All-Pro selections and won three Super Bowl titles. Following his retirement as a player, Slater served as a coaching assistant for the Patriots in 2024.
Slater was born in Long Beach, California, to Annie and Pro Football Hall of Fame player Jackie Slater. He has a brother named David. Slater lettered in football for two seasons at Servite High School in Anaheim, California, where he was teammates with Ryan Kalil. Slater was an All-West selection by Prep Star and a three-star selection by Rivals.com. He was also a two-time All-Serra League selection. As a junior, Slater caught 23 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior, he had 39 receptions for 707 yards and five touchdowns. In high school, Slater was also a standout track athlete. He tied for second at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State meet in the 100 meters, with a time of 10.62 seconds, and fourth in the 200 meters, with a time of 21.39 seconds. Slater's 4 × 100 metres relay team was the CIF champion. He was selected as the 2003 Orange County Register Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year as a senior. Slater still holds school records in the 100 meters and 200 meters.
Slater attended the University of California, Los Angeles and majored in political science and history, while playing for the Bruins football team. As a freshman, he redshirted due to a turf toe injury. As a freshman redshirt in 2004, Slater appeared in games against Illinois, Arizona, and Stanford. As a sophomore in 2005, Slater was a reserve wide receiver. He missed the first three games due to a stress fracture in his left leg. Slater played in two games but did not make a reception. As a junior in 2006, Slater played 13 games, including two (against Washington and Arizona) on defense. He excelled on kick coverage, specializing in big hits on kick returners to help minimize kick return yardage. Slater made nine tackles, including six solo tackles. As a senior in 2007, Slater played in 13 games and made 25 tackles. He also returned 34 kicks for a 29-yard average and three touchdowns which tied the lead in the nation and set the UCLA record. Slater also tied the Pac-10 season record, set by Anthony Davis in 1974. Slater's 29-yard kickoff return average was first in the Pac-10 and 12th-best in the country. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as the kick returner. Slater's 986 kickoff return yards were also a new UCLA single-season record.
Slater was selected in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2008 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, who traded up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before drafting Slater. His father, Jackie Slater, was pleased with the selection and told the Boston Herald that he received phone calls from "scouts, administrators in the NFL who knew me and my son, and they said, 'Jackie, this could not be a better fit for your son to start being a pro football player.'" Slater was one of two players selected in the 2008 Draft (the other being Chris Long), and the sixth in the history of the NFL Draft, who is a son of a Hall of Fame member. Slater played in 14 games as a rookie, returning 11 kickoffs for 155 yards and recording 12 tackles on special teams.
In the 2009 season, Slater was active for 14 games for the Patriots, recording six tackles on special teams, while recording one rush for six yards as a wide receiver. He also returned 11 kickoffs for 269 yards, a 24.5 average. Slater had a career-high 35-yard kickoff return in the regular-season finale against the Houston Texans. He also played in a reserve role at wide receiver and on special teams coverage units in the postseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. In that game, Slater had two kickoff returns for 46 yards and a special teams tackle.
In 2010, Slater did not record any offensive or defensive statistics and did not return any kicks or punts. However, he led the team with 21 special teams tackles in 15 games played.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
