Who Should I Start? Matthew Slater or Donovan Peoples-Jones

Tuesday, February 20, 12:01 PM

New England Patriots wide receiver and special teams ace Matthew Slater announced on Tuesday that he is officially retiring from professional football. Slater holds the record for most special teams Pro Bowl appearances with 10. "I have given all that I possibly can to respect and honor the game," Slater wrote. "Though it is time for my relationship with the game to evolve, the love I have for it will last a lifetime." The former fifth-round pick by the Patriots in 2008 out of UCLA spent his entire 16-year career in New England and won three Super Bowls with the team and is the franchise's all-time leader in special teams tackles. Slater played in 239 games with the Patriots, second in team history behind only Tom Brady (285). Slater's 25 career postseason games rank ninth-most in NFL history. The 38-year-old was a team captain for 13 straight seasons.

Saturday, March 16, 10:53 PM

Free-agent wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones agreed to a one-year deal on Saturday to remain with the Lions. The wideout began his career by spending over three years with the Browns before being traded to Detroit ahead of the deadline last season. He appeared in eight regular-season games for the Lions, catching only five of his seven targets for 58 yards. Yet, Peoples-Jones did at least come in handy as a punt returner during the postseason after Kalif Raymond went down with a knee injury. The organization still feels the 25-year-old has some untapped potential. However, it's too early to speculate where Peoples-Jones will land on the depth chart heading into the 2024-25 campaign, considering he'll compete with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and possibly Josh Reynolds for snaps. The team may also add via the 2024 NFL Draft. With this in mind, he's someone to watch throughout training camp.