Matthew Slater, Who Earned Over $30M in the NFL, Aspires to Go Back to School as a Dad of 4

Matthew Slater has had a tremendous career in the NFL. Playing 16 years and winning three rings with Tom Brady was nothing short of legendary, especially since he was one of the crucial cogs in Belichick’s system.

It’s been two years since he hung up his cleats, and now Slater is transitioning to a new part of life — being a full-time dad of four. As you can imagine, he has his hands full and his house messy, but even then, the former All-Pro wideout doesn’t want to let his inner student die.

In his new appearance on the Dudes on Dudes podcast hosted by two of his former teammates, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, Slater opened up about what he hopes to pursue next.

“I’m in full dad mode right now,” Slater said. “I’m enjoying my time at home in a transition season of life. Looking to go back to school, actually hoping to get my MBA soon.”

It is inspiring to see Slater still chasing his aspirations, even after earning over $30 million during his football career. $30,283,750 to be exact. He’s basically set for life, but that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to finish his college degree. And now, as he applies to schools, Slater admits he feels like a teenager all over again.

“Been applying to schools. I feel like a teenager again; it’s like doing these essays and looking into school, but I’m excited. I’m enjoying this transition and looking forward to the next chapter,” Slater added.

This may seem unusual to some — why would a successful NFL veteran want to go back to school again? Well, this trend is actually quite common among players and ex-players in the NFL — and in other leagues too.

Many veterans have been vocal about how the money earned in the league doesn’t last forever. So after their careers (which are usually short), they need to take up another profession to maintain their high standard of living.

And while part of the reason is financial, the other part is about purpose. Many players have only known football their entire lives, and once they leave the league, they struggle to find a proper — and high-paying — job if they don’t stick to sports-related roles.

Even to land a job as an executive in the league, a postgraduate is always a plus. So getting a degree in MBA might open a lot of doors for the former Patriots wide receiver in the future.

Though we can only guess what he plans to do beyond being a present dad, getting that degree will be more than just bulking up his already bulked-up resume.