Adam Vinatieri has spent the last decade with the Indianapolis Colts, and he'll remain in Indy for the foreseeable future after signing a contract extension Tuesday, the team announced. Ian Rapoport is reporting the deal is for two years, $6 million with another $1 million in incentives. Vinatieri was poised to hit free agency after completing the final season of a two-year, $5 million contract he signed with Indianapolis prior to the 2014 season.
Colts re-sign kicker Adam Vinatieri, the oldest player in the NFL
The league’s oldest player will remain in Indianapolis.
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
“We are thrilled to retain Adam as a member of the Colts family,” said Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson. “Adam continues to play at the highest level year in and year out and his hard work, consistency and professionalism are a credit to him being the longest tenured active player in the NFL. Adam has won multiple Super Bowls and is a future Hall of Famer. We look forward to continuing to utilize his championship-pedigree and leadership in our program.”
After spending a season in what would become NFL Europe, Vinatieri signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent prior to the 1996 season. He spent his first 10 seasons in the league with the Patriots, appearing in four Super Bowls and winning three. Vinatieri was directly responsible for two of those victories. A last-minute field goal gave the Patriots a 20-17 lead to beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. In Super Bowl XXXVIII, with four seconds remaining to play, a 41-yard Vinatieri field goal sealed the Patriots' victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The Patriots used the franchise tag on Vinatieri prior to the 2005 season, and when he hit free agency before the 2006 season, they opted to let him test the market. Vinatieri signed with the Colts, and his first season in Indianapolis culminated with yet another Super Bowl appearance. He was 3 for 4 on field goals in the Colts' 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Vinatieri, a future Hall of Famer, has made 84.1 percent of his attempted field goals over the course of his 20-year career. At 43, age does not appear to be slowing Vinatieri down, even though he is currently the oldest player in the NFL. He posted two of his best seasons in 2014 and 2015. He converted 30 of 31 field goal attempts in 2014, and during the 2015 season he made 25 of 27 attempts.
Following the 2015 season, Vinatieri made it clear that he wanted to continue to play, not just for one more season, but “a couple of years,” and he’ll have the opportunity to do so with the Colts.
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