Colts Kicker Adam Vinatieri Placed On Injured Reserve

The NFL's all-time leader in field goals and points has been put on season-ending injured reserve with a left leg injury that needs surgery.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

The worst season of Adam Vinatieri’s career is finished as the Indianapolis Colts kicker was placed on injured reserve Monday with a left knee injury that will require surgery.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and later confirmed by several other sources. Later in the day, the Colts made the official announcement as well as placing wide receiver Parris Campbell (foot) on injured reserve.

The NFL’s oldest player at 46 had undergone a magnetic imagine resonance exam on his plant leg last week for an injury that has lingered since training camp. Vinatieri was ruled out for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay, the first time he’s been sidelined since 2009.

It’s quite possible this 24th season might be the last for the NFL’s all-time leader in field goals (599) and points (2,673), among other accolades. And it’s one Vinatieri would just as soon forget — he missed a career-high 14 kicks, including six extra points.

He had three games with three missed kicks, failed on a costly extra point in a home loss to Miami and hooked left a last-minute field goal try that would have given the Colts the lead at Pittsburgh.

The Colts were awarded 23-year-old rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin off waivers on Wednesday. McLaughlin made two of three field goals and three extra points in the Colts’ 38-35 loss at Tampa Bay. But the lone miss was costly. After his 47-yard attempt bounced off the right upright, the Buccaneers drove to the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Colts (6-7), amid mounting injuries, have lost five of six games to fall out of serious playoff contention.

However discouraging 2019 became, Vinatieri is expected to one day be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The four-time Super Bowl winner is of the greatest clutch kickers, heroics which include providing the deciding points on last-second, game-winning field goals in two Super Bowls while with the New England Patriots.

His former coach, the Patriots’ Bill Belichick, said Vinatieri’s game-tying field goal in the snow to force overtime in a 2001 AFC Divisional playoff win over Oakland was “the greatest kick” he has ever seen.

Although he turns 47 at the end of this month, Vinatieri always said he would try to kick until he was 50 if he was still capable. And despite his misses, he still had a strong leg this season — a 55-yarder that fluttered barely wide right two games ago had plenty of distance.

The Colts said his plant leg injury flared up before that game, a 31-17 home loss to Tennessee that turned when a Vinatieri 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned 63 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. This failure wasn’t his fault — the Colts had a blocking breakdown that allowed a free rusher to practically swallow the ball — but an earlier field goal was also blocked after he drove it low.

Although Vinatieri has been dealing with the injury since August, he didn’t appear on an injury report until last week. When asked if he was healthy, he declined to blame his health for his ineffectiveness, assuring he was strong enough to go out and do the job and wouldn’t use an injury as an excuse.

The Colts endured constant scrutiny for standing by the captain and twice had tryouts for kickers before deciding to stand pat. Head coach Frank Reich continually reiterated his faith in Vinatieri, although the kicker’s status became a constant question.

After 10 seasons with the Patriots, Vinatieri played in 205 games in 14 seasons with the Colts. The only Colts to appear in more games were Reggie Wayne (211), Peyton Manning (208) and John Unitas (206). Only Unitas, who played 17 seasons for the Baltimore Colts, suited up for more years in franchise history.

In addition to this most noteworthy accomplishments, Vinatieri's other records included making 44 consecutive field goals, having 20 seasons with at least 100 points and winning the most games in Colts history at 242 counting the playoffs.

His place in NFL lore is secure. The only question that remains is if Vinatieri has kicked his last football.