Matt Slauson

Matthew Benjamin Slauson (born February 18, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, and Indianapolis Colts before retiring after the 2018 season.

Professional career

New York Jets

The New York Jets selected Slauson with their sixth round pick in the 2009 NFL draft. The Jets offensive line coach Bill Callahan previously coached Slauson at Nebraska and considered him versatile, athletic, and durable. Slauson was signed to a four-year deal by the team in May. Slauson would appear in three regular season games in 2009 playing at the guard and center positions respectively. During the team's training camp sessions, Slauson battled Ducasse to replace Faneca. On September 9, 2010, Slauson would be named the team's starting left guard.

Slauson became the subject of criticism after utilizing a cut block against Brian Cushing that resulted in Cushing tearing his ACL on October 8, 2012. The play was considered legal by USA Today as both were within three yards of the line of scrimmage where an offensive lineman is allowed to low block a defensive player; the Houston Chronicle contended that the block itself was legal but the location of the block was not. Cushing, when asked about the play, stated "It's football. It's part of the game... it happened to me, and I've been on the other side of that, so I know how it goes."

Chicago Bears On March 29, 2013, Slauson signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears. On January 2, 2014, Slauson was re-signed by the Bears to a four-year contract. On January 24, Slauson was named to the USA Today All-Joe Team.

In 2014, in a 51–23 loss to the New England Patriots, Slauson tore his right pectoral muscle and was ruled out for the rest of the season. On April 7, 2015, Slauson was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award.

On May 1, 2016, Slauson was released by the Bears.

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers Slauson signed a two-year contract with the San Diego Chargers on May 7, 2016. In his first year with the Chargers, he started all 16 games at center.

Slauson entered the 2017 season as the Chargers' starting left guard. In Week 7, he suffered a season-ending biceps injury and was placed on injured reserve.

Indianapolis Colts On March 20, 2018, Slauson signed with the Indianapolis Colts on a one-year, $3 million deal, reuniting with former Jets offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. He was named the starting right guard to start the season, starting the first five games before being placed on injured reserve on October 8, 2018.

Retirement On February 6, 2019, Slauson announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons.

Personal life Slauson was born in Sweet Home, Oregon, to Nancy and Robert Slauson and played football at Sweet Home High School in Oregon before graduating from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. From a young age, Slauson was diagnosed with stuttering, a speech disorder that occurs primarily when he is placed in unfamiliar situations. Slauson has two other brothers, Nick and Chris, as well as a sister, Alli.

Slauson is a nephew of Jim Thurber, best known for his appearances on Discovery's TV show "Gold Rush".