FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced the re-signing of wide receiver Mathew Slater. In addition, the Patriots signed defensive tackle Marcus Harrison. Terms of the contracts were not announced.
Slater, 26, is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the Patriots. He has been utilized as a wide receiver, kickoff returner, special teams player and on defense at safety during his NFL career.
He earned his first Pro Bowl berth as a special teams player in 2011 after leading the team in special teams tackles with 17. He was also elected special teams captain in a vote by his teammates prior to the start of the season. Slater appeared in all 16 games last season, including three starts at safety. He finished with one reception for 46 yards, 10 tackles on defense and also returned three kickoffs for 54 yards. Slater played in all three postseason games, including Super Bowl XLVI.
The 6-0, 200-pounder was originally drafted by New England in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of UCLA. During his four seasons with the Patriots he has played in 59 games with three starts and has played in five postseason games. Slater has totaled 44 special teams tackles, returned 25 kickoffs for 478 yards and has caught one pass for 46 yards.
Harrison, 27, was originally drafted in 2008 by the Chicago Bears in the third round (90th overall) out of Arkansas. During his 37 career games over three seasons with the Bears, Harrison amassed 55 tackles, 3.0 sacks and three passes defensed. The 6-3, 316 pound lineman was signed by the Patriots as a free agent on October 14, 2011 before being released on October 15, 2011.
