HARROW ON THE HILL, England – Last week, the Patriots signed special teams ace Brenden Schooler to a new three-year contract extension.

The news was met with positivity as Schooler has emerged as a replacement for longtime special teams Pro Bowler Matthew Slater, but signing a special teamer didn’t create major headlines.

That wasn’t the case on Jeremy Springer’s phone.

When the news broke last week, the Patriots special teams coach’s phone started to buzz – and it didn’t stop. When he looked at his messages, he saw dozens of texts from coaches around the NFL praising the organization for extending Schooler.

“The fact that 30 coaches texted me and telling me, ‘Hey, it’s really good you locked him up because I’ll you right now if you didn’t’ do that, he was going to go somewhere and get locked up for a pretty good amount of money,’” Springer said. “That lets you know how many coaches respect him around the league and what he means to the team that they would actually do that right now in the season.”

Last week, the Patriots signed Schooler to a 3-year, $9 million deal that can be worth up to $10.5 million. This season, Schooler is second in the NFL in special teams tackles (six). Against the Miami Dolphins, he blocked a punt. Last season, Schooler was selected to the NFLPA All Pro team by his peers.

This week, Schooler told MassLive that he was thrilled to get the extension and stay in New England.

“I’ve dreamed about this stuff when I was a little kid,” Schooler said. “So to be able to go through with it and finally put the pen to paper, it was a big milestone for me in my life.”

An undrafted free agent, Schooler signed with the Patriots in 2022 and instantly became a core special teamer. He looked up to Matthew Slater as a teenager and after being mentored by the Patriots great, he’s following in his footsteps.

“He’s a phenomenal leader for us. A phenomenal guy,” Springer said. “He deserves everything.”

• BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.