Matthew Slater back at Gillette Stadium as Patriots begin offseason workouts

The long-time team captain, who announced his retirement earlier this offseason, helped welcome players back into the building.

The New England Patriots started the voluntary portion of their offseason workout program on Monday, welcoming a majority of their currently-rostered players to Gillette Stadium. Also present was Matthew Slater.

A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and long-time team captain, Slater announced his retirement from pro football earlier this offseason. He was nonetheless present for the team’s first day of workouts, seemingly filling a support role of some kind for new head coach Jerod Mayo.

The exact nature of his involvement with the club remains to be seen. The Patriots did not include him when they made their coaching staff official in February.

Slater himself, however, appears to be open to contributing in whichever capacity.

“I love the game of football. I love everything that it entails. And as I transition into this next phase in my life, certainly I love being involved however I can — in a way that makes sense for my family and I,” Slater recently told the Patriots Report podcast.

“I think about culture building, pointing the young men and sharing the experience that I had as a player with the next generation. That may not be as a coach. I’m not aspiring to be a head coach as [Jerod Mayo and Kevin O’Connell], but maybe as a member of the staff or in some kind of supportive role. I’m very much open to that, and we’ll just see what the future holds.”

Slater originally joined the NFL as a fifth-round selection in the 2008 draft and went on to spend his entire 16-year career with the Patriots. Along the way, he established himself as a franchise cornerstone both due to his work on special teams and his leadership off the field.

And while his active career is now over, it seems his relationship with the organization will remain alive and well.