Patriots' Matthew Slater: 'Disappointing' It Seems NFL Wants to Eliminate Kickoffs

New England Patriots veteran Matthew Slater has made a career of being a special teams star, and he is concerned the NFL is moving away from the kickoff.

"It's very disappointing," he said of his belief that the league wants to eventually eliminate kickoffs, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.

The veteran also pointed out the Patriots have covered eight kickoffs and returned seven through their first eight games this season. By comparison, they covered 17 and returned 18 through eight games during the 2022 campaign.

Having the kickoff be from the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line and changing the touchback rule so the offense starts at its own 25-yard line instead of its own 20-yard line seemed to be moves toward increasing the number of touchbacks.

The league has also pointed to evidence suggesting kickoffs are the most dangerous plays in the game.

Yet moving on from the play would impact players like Slater more than others, as he is a three-time Super Bowl champion, 10-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro selection because of his special teams excellence.

He could end up in the Hall of Fame one day, which is an opportunity other special teams players may not have in the future if the NFL eliminates kickoffs.