Who Should I Start? Matthew Slater or Marvin 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.

Wednesday, October 25, 11:01 AM

Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. announced on Tuesday that he was stepping away from the team due to personal family matters. Jones was then released by the team. "To be brief, I am stepping away from the team to take care of personal family matters," Jones wrote in part in an Instagram post. "Although this was no easy decision, I cannot be the person/player that I need to be for this team as well as tend to my family from afar." The veteran pass-catcher did not travel with the team to Baltimore in Week 7 and had very little production to begin the season, catching five passes for 35 yards on 10 targets. The 33-year-old didn't mention anything about retirement. The former fifth-rounder has played in 151 career games and has 547 catches for 7,421 yards and 58 touchdowns. With Jones out of the picture, Kalif Raymond could have a bigger role as wideout depth in Detroit.