As Matt Slater stood at the podium on Thursday morning answering questions about his (most likely) retirement and career as a whole, there was already a sense of acceptance in his voice that this will in fact be the end of a tremendous career.

Slater still says he’s going to go through the same process he does at the end of every year, which includes prayer and discussions with his family about his future, but it certainly feels like a snowy game against the Jets on Sunday will be his swan song.

He’s seen plenty of teammates already make the leap into retirement, including Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty and of course, Tom Brady. I asked Slater if he’ll be leaning on those guys while making that final call.

Absolutely.

“I’ve spoken to all those guys about crossing over, so to speak and what that experience was like for them,” he said. “I think all three of them were in pretty unique positions. Tom probably feels like he can still play to this day. Jerod obviously had some injuries and then Devin made his decision last year. It’s been helpful to talk to those guys about their experience and take their feedback. All three of those guys I respect and I worked with for a long time. They’ve had huge impacts on my life.

“So, obviously, there’s a lot to learn from each of them and I’ll definitely be using them as I make my decision.”