The New England Patriots completely rebuilt their leadership under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel, and as a result will be led by six new captains this season. Among them are several first-time recipients of that honor, including fourth-year Patriots Brenden Schooler and Marcus Jones.
Arriving alongside one another, the pair is not just holding the flag high for what turned out to be an underwhelming 2022 rookie class. They are also making sure that the organization’s tradition is not entirely
lost: both Schooler and Jones are trying to follow in the footsteps of former Patriots leaders.
In Schooler’s case, those are Matthew Slater and Joe Cardona.
“Everything that comes with being a captain,” Schooler said about what he learned from the two. “It’s not just on the field. It’s off the field; it’s in the meeting rooms; it’s in the weight room. I don’t think that C ever comes off your chest, especially when your peers give that to you. Those guys taught me that and the immense knowledge what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a role model. It’s not always the raw-raw in your face; it’s maybe taking a guy underneath your wing if he’s really struggling. It’s more than just beating on your chest.
“I think there’s a way to conduct yourself and having Joe Cardona, Matthew Slater in the building showed me what it means to be a captain and how to conduct yourself in meetings, lead through example, and taking somebody under the wing if they need it. I couldn’t thank those guys enough for showing me how to be a captain.”
Arriving in 2008 and 2015, respectively, Slater and Cardona were longtime cornerstones for the Patriots. Besides helping the club win multiple Super Bowls during their tenures, they also led the team’s kicking game operation and locker room as a whole: Slater was voted a captain 13 times between 2011 and 2023, with Cardona earning the title in 2024.
With neither left on the team — Slater retired in 2024, Cardona was released this offseason — Schooler is set to fill the void created by their departures. Marcus Jones is aiming to do that as well, while also evoking another franchise legend as a role model of his.
“Two guys I’ve always respected were Matthew Slater, for sure, and also Dev[in McCourty]. That was one of my guys in the room with us that led by example,” Jones said.
McCourty, like Slater, was first named captain in 2011 and continued holding that title through the rest of his career — including for three of the team’s Super Bowl wins. He retired after the 2022 season as a 12-time captain, and a player whose leadership style left an impression on the then-rookie Jones.
Now, Jones will get to pay homage to his former mentor, as will Brenden Schooler. The Patriots of 2025 will look drastically different from those that still had the likes of McCourty, Slater and Cardona on the roster, but part of their legacy will remain alive in the locker room to this day.
