August 8, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots safety Brenden Schooler (41) warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Patriots New Captain Wants Advice From Special Teams Legend

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Jennifer Streeter | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 7:00 AM ET

In the midst of all the excitement surrounding Week 1 of the NFL season finally being upon fans, the New England Patriots fanbase might have missed one crucial detail surrounding one of their new captains.

On Monday, the Patriots voted quarterback Drake Maye, linebacker Harold Landry, cornerback Marcus Jones, linebacker Robert Spillane, specialist Brenden Schooler and tight end Hunter Henry as the team’s on-field and locker room leaders for the upcoming season. While May's announcement was certainly interesting due to the fact he's only in his second year in the league and is a youngster at 23 years old, fans may have overlooked that safety and special teamer Brenden Schooler is the first core special teamer to assume captain duties since Matthew Slater retired in 2023. Slater's retirement came after 25 years in the sport of football — 16 of them with the Pats.

Slater's long term as a special teams captain was culminated with former head coach Bill Belichick saying that the Patriots' alum was one of the all-time greats in the special teams department.

Schooler will be assuming the captain role for the first time in his NFL career, and has said he will be reaching out to Slater for advice.

"I have not had the time [to text Slater]," Schooler said in a locker room media availability. "I just got off the phone with my parents. [Our call] will eat into scheme and talking about how this happened and so I'll give him a shout here shortly after we're done for the day."

Patriots special teams captain Brenden Schooler says he'll reach out to Matthew Slater at the end of the day.

First call was to his parents.@ABC6 #NEPats #NEvsLV pic.twitter.com/P8pK2xeKzZ
— Ian Steele (@RealianSteele6) September 1, 2025

Slater earned 10 Pro Bowl nods and three Super Bowls along the way to being known as one of the best special teams gunners in league history,

Now in his fourth year, Schooler has become similar to Slater in that he is a core leader in the kicking game and a favorite among fans and teammates for his all-out style. He was named to the AP All-Pro team and recently earned his first — but likely not his last — Pro Bowl nod in 2024.

If there's anything for Patriots fans to take away from this, it's that Slater and Schooler clearly already have a pre-existing relationship. Schooler already values Slater's advice, and will undoubtedly turn to the Patriots' legend for support throughout his next chapter wearing the coveted "C" on his jersey.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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