Playing in the National Football League (NFL) which happens to be one of the top sports leagues in the world has made a lot of people multi-millionaires, including Matthew Slater. The American football player has been a part of the league since 2008 and was not one of those players people anticipated their debut. But over the years he has spent in the NFL thus far, the New England Patriots special teamer and wide receiver has attained feats that many players can only dream of. For instance, he has participated in the NFL all-star game as a special team gunner multiple times that he is now considered as the face of the league’s players in that position.
The 38 years old Long Beach, California native grew up around the sports as his father was also a professional footballer. So it is hardly a surprise that he was athletically inclined and started playing football at a young age. Because of who his father is, his commitment to community service, and of course his accomplishments as a professional football, Matthew Slater has earned the admiration of a lot of people who want to know about literally everything that goes on in his life. Apart from seeking to know if his career has been financially rewarding, things like his relationship with his wife and who his kids are, are all deemed news-worthy in some quarters.
6. He’s Worth At Least $10 Million and Has Made Over $24.7 Million Thus Far From Playing In The NFL
As far as anyone knows, Matthew Slater’s career earnings as an American football player are the source of his wealth estimated at $10 million at the moment. For someone who has been an active player in the NFL since 2008, it is not hard to believe he is worth that much. For 2021, he is expected to pocket $1,750,000 as his salary and over $2.6 million if you include his roster bonus and other incentives. While this is less than the over $3 million he made in 2020, it is still a huge amount compared to what he made in the early years of his career. He made just over $1.3 million in the first three years he spent in the league.
Slater got a better deal in 2012 after he became a free agent in 2011; the three-year pact he made with the Patriots saw his earnings climb to $2.8 million. Matthew Slater made $1.6 million the following year and then $3.6 million in 2014. Below is a breakdown of his career earnings since he joined the NFL:
- 2008 – $478,120
- 2009 – $393,120
- 2010 – $478,120
- 2011 – $608,120
- 2012 – $2.8 Million
- 2013 – $1.6 Million
- 2014 – $3.6 Million
- 2015 – $1.1 Million
- 2016 – $1,628,277
- 2017 – $1,418,750
- 2018 – $2.525 Million
- 2019 – $2.5 Million
- 2020 – $3,032,739
- 2021 – $2,626,464
- Total – $24,788,710
5. Matthew Slater’s Father Is The Former NFL Hall of Famer, Jackie Slater
The New England Patriots football player was born to Annie and Jackie Ray Slater in Long Beach, California on the 9th of September, 1985. While much isn’t known about his mother, his father Jackie Slater is a retired NFL player, an offensive tackle who spent 20 years in the NFL playing for St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. Often regarded as the most consistent member of one of the best offensive lines in NFL history, Jackie is a seven-time Pro Bowler and was named to Second-team All-Pro four times.
In 1996, he received the Bart Starr Award for exemplifying outstanding character in and off the field. Following his retirement, the Los Angeles Rams retired his No. 78 Jersey and in 2001, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jackie Slater and his son are one of the most nominated fathers/sons in the NFL for the Pro Bowl.
4. He Began Playing Football In High School and Had His College Career With The Bruins of UCLA
Like most American professional footballers, the NFL star began playing football when he was in high school. The wide receiver attended Servite High School, a private college preparatory high school located in Anaheim, California. He was also a standout track athlete which complemented his footballing skills.
Following his graduation from college, he moved on to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he majored in political science and history. While at that, he played for the Bruins and was named to First-team All-Pac 10. At the 2008 NFL Draft, he got drafted by the New England Patriots as the 153rd overall pick in the fifth round and it marked the beginning of his professional career.
3. Matthew Slater Is a Nine-time Pro Bowler and Has Won The Super Bowl Championship Thrice
When one thinks of the most successful NFL players in recent times, Matthew Slater’s name might be omitted but you would be surprised that he has accomplished a lot in the league more than some of the often celebrated NFL stars. The special teamer and wide receiver is a three-time Super Bowl Champion and has participated in the prestigious all-star game of the league nine times thus far.
Those are only a few of his career highlights. Slater has been named First-team All-Pro five times; these were in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019. In 2017 and 2020, he was named to the Second-team All-Pro. The 2017 Bart Starr Award winner has also been named to the New England Patriots 2010s All-Decade Team.
2. The NFL Star Has Been Married To Shahrzad Slater Since 2015
Matthew Slater has been a family man since 2015 when he got married to his long-time girlfriend, Shahrzad Ehdaivand Slater. Mattew Slater’s wife is a medical professional who currently works as the senior vice president of clinical operations at LMK Clinical Research Consulting in Huntersville, North Carolina. She attended Hood College where she bagged a degree in Biochemistry and then moved on to Dartmouth College where she acquired a Master of Public Health degree in Public Health and Medicine. Thereafter, Shahrzad went to Brown Medical School and became a Doctor of Medicine.
Matthew and Shahrzad got married in 2015 and on the 25th of November that same year, they welcomed their first child, a son named Jeremiah. He is now an older brother to two younger siblings.
1. Matthew Slater Is 6 Feet Tall and Weighs 205 lb
Although he is not as tall as his father who stands at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighs 277 lb (126 kg), Matthews’ physique, as far as we know, has not posed any problem for his career. The NLF player’s height is listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and he weighs 205 lb (93 kg).
He is taller than most men in American and indeed the world at large. The average height for men in the United States is 1.77 m and the tallest of men are from Netherland where the average height is 1.84 m.
