Clutch kicker gets his due as Adam
Vinatieri heads into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
[August 03, 2026]
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
When Tom Brady thinks of clutch NFL players, the man considered by
most to be the greatest quarterback to play the game begins his list
with Adam Vinatieri.
“When you look up clutch in the dictionary, it should have your
picture,” the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback wrote in a
2021 Instagram post wishing the 24-year veteran a happy retirement.
“Honored to have played with the (greatest of all-time).”
Five years later, the kicker whose four Super Bowl rings rank as the
most in league history at his position will take his place in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Just to say you did it a long time and you did a pretty good job
and you got to put an exclamation on a couple of games was a
wonderful experience for me,” Vinatieri said.
Vinatieri got his call in his second year on the ballot and on
Saturday will become just the third full-time placekicker to be
inducted into the hall, joining Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen.
But Vinatieri’s career resume stands out above his peers.
He retired with all-time marks of 2,673 career points and 599 field
goals. Only George Blanda (26 seasons) and Andersen (25) had longer
NFL careers than Vinatieri.
The four-time Super Bowl champion stunned many when he left New
England following the 2005 season — after winning three of his rings
and becoming the franchise’s career scoring leader after 10 seasons
— and landed with rival Indianapolis.
Vinatieri was far from done with inking his name in the record
books.
At age 34, he began what would be a 14-year run in Indy during which
he’d break the Colts’ career scoring mark as well as earn a fourth
Super Bowl ring during his first season there in 2006.
By the time he finally walked away having played his final season in
2019 at age 47, Vinatieri also would own the NFL’s top marks for
field goal attempts (715), consecutive field goals made (44) and
100-plus point seasons (21).
His legacy, though, was built from what he did in some of his most
pressure-filled moments on the field.
His 45-yard field goal for the Patriots in blizzard-like conditions
during the 2002 AFC divisional round playoff game against the
Oakland Raiders tied the score and sent the Patriots to overtime.
His 23-yarder in the extra frame propelled New England to the
conference championship game.
Two weeks later, Vinatieri did it again by making a 48-yarder in the
closing seconds to give the Patriots their first Super Bowl title
with a 20-17 victory over the Rams.
Two years after that kick, Vinatieri and the Patriots were at it
again during a wild back-and-forth fourth quarter in their Super
Bowl matchup with the Carolina Panthers that featured 37 points
combined.
Ricky Proehl caught a tying TD pass to make it 29-29 with 1:08 left.
But the kickoff went out of bounds and the Patriots started at their
40.
Brady led his team down the field and set up Vinatieri for a 41-yard
try with 9 seconds left. Vinatieri nailed it to give New England a
32-29 win and its second Super Bowl title in three years.
“Those 10 years in New England, there was nothing like it,”
Vinatieri said. “I know my teammates and I started a dynasty at that
point winning a bunch of Super Bowls in a short amount of time. That
was a great experience for me and one that I’ll cherish my entire
life.”
Vinatieri's poise under pressure was unmatched
Prior to facing Vinatieri and the Colts for the final time in 2018
when Brady was still with the Patriots, Brady said witnessing the
winning kick against the Raiders would always stand out in his mind.
[to top of second column] |
New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri celebrates his
game-winning field goal with teammates Ken Walter (13) and Christian
Fauria (88) in the final seconds of Super Bowl XXXVIII against the
Carolina Panthers at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Feb. 1, 2004. (AP
Photo/Dave Martin, File)
“I was lucky enough to be (in New England) when he
was (there) early in his career and I thought so much of him. He was
just so clutch. He always kind of made the kick and that’s what the
mark of a great kicker is,” Brady said. “When you see it now, it’s
pretty remarkable that he made it and what that meant for this
organization. ... What a lucky person to be able to be involved in
that ‘Snow Bowl’ and to watch that kick go through."
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a 2024 episode of his
“The Coach Show” podcast that Vinatieri is alone amongst kickers
he’s coached.
“Adam's one of these guys, too, he's a kicker but he worked out with
the rest of the team,” Belichick said. “He didn't act like a kicker.
He was a football player. He was tough. He worked hard every day and
he was very dependable in the clutch. There's no player I'd rather
have out there kicking a game-winning field goal than Adam Vinatieri.
Probably even today."
Time with Colts also contributed to Super Bowl win
While Vinatieri may be most remembered for his time in New England,
he continued to excel during his tenure in Indy.
In January 2007, the South Dakota State alum made five field goals
in a divisional round game that featured no touchdowns at Baltimore.
The 15-6 victory set up an AFC title game rematch between the Colts
and Patriots, this time in Indy with Vinatieri on the opposite
sideline from Brady and his ex-teammates. Vinatieri’s playoff run
continued as the Colts reached their first Super Bowl since the
franchise moved to Indianapolis.
Vinatieri made three more field goals in a 29-17 Super Bowl win over
Chicago and captured yet another ring while finishing that
postseason with 49 points and 14 field goals, both one-season
playoff records. He also became the first player to make three or
more field goals in four consecutive postseason games.
Vinatieri enters the hall as a three-time All-Pro, was a three-time
Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary
All-Time Team.
He ranks second all-time in NFL victories (242), regular-season wins
(221) and postseason wins (21) and is one of five players who
appeared in a game at age 46.
Induction honor goes to daughter of former Colts owner Jim Irsay
His affinity for his time with the Colts was reflected in his choice
to be presented at the Hall of Fame induction by Colts owner and CEO
Carlie Irsay-Gordon.
He told Indianapolis’ Fox affiliate that he originally wanted to ask
late owner Jim Irsay, who died in May 2025.
“Jim was the first pick. There really wasn’t anyone else I thought
about,” Vinatieri said. “I was like, ’You know what? It means a lot
to me but also potentially means a lot for her being the fact she’s
the new owner. I just felt like it was the right thing for both of
us. The more I thought of it, the more it became clear to me that
this is the right thing to do."
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