FOXBOROUGH — Wide receiver Matthew Slater, the New England Patriots’ special teams captain and Pro Bowler in the kicking game, reached a two-year extension with the team Wednesday. The deal runs through 2016 and reportedly totals $4 million.

Slater is easily the most productive and respected special teams players in New England since Larry Izzo. Head coach Bill Belichick raved about Slater’s leadership and value to the team for years, and did so again after word of the extension broke.

“Matt does a lot of things for us,” Belichick said. “Obviously he’s a very good player on the field, professional, works hard. (He) does a great job with all the players — younger players — but also his peers. He’s very well-respected in the locker room, not just by the players but by the entire organization by the way he goes about his job, how dependable he is, his work ethic, his attitude, his toughness. He’s really such a model player. I’d love to have 53 guys like him.”

Slater was a fifth-round pick out of UCLA in 2008, a pretty high pick for a guy slated primarily for work as a kick coverage player. He’s been to three straight Pro Bowls though, and made that pick more than worth it.

“We made a decent investment in him because we thought he’d be pretty good. But he’s everything and more you could have hoped for, I will say that,” Belichick added. “His personality, his intelligence, his toughness, his character both on and off the field, his leadership is all exemplary. You couldn’t find anything better.”