Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri: “I plan on playing a couple of more years if I can”

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri is among the best players at his position in the entire NFL, and he’s still going strong at 44 years old.

In 2016, he converted 27-of-31 field goal attempts, making 87.1% of his kicks and also making all 44 extra point attempts, while he was 7-for-9 on field goals of 50+ yards. This season, he was tied for sixth in the NFL in field goal percentage. And it sounds like he has no plans of stopping soon, either.

Colts.com’s Kevin Bowen wrote a piece about Vinatieri nearing the record for most wins all time, as he’s been a part of 201 and the record is 209, set by George Blanda.

“I hope so,” Vinatieri said, regarding potentially passing Blanda in that mark in 2017. But either way, he said that he plans to keep playing past that. “For me, I plan on playing a couple of more years if I can. I assume we are going to win a lot of games the next year and the year after. I would like to think that I can get to 210, at least, if not more.”

If Vinatieri does indeed play a couple more years, he should definitely reach that mark, but there are other marks he’s nearing as well - such as career field goals and career points scored.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Vinatieri plans to keep playing a couple more years, either, as it’s been made clear in the past too. In fact, the main holdup in his contract negotiations last offseason was the length, as he said he wanted a three-year deal and the Colts wanted a one-year deal, so they compromised on a two-year contract. At the time, he made it clear: he wanted to play around three more years. “Hopefully I can play well enough for he next two years that will warrant me playing one more season,” he said.

And as long as Vinatieri is kicking at such a high level, there’s no reason to think that he should call it quits anytime soon. Over the last four years, Vinatieri has converted 117-of-129 field goal attempts (90.7%). In each of those four seasons, he’s been above 87% in field goal percentage - something he did in just four of his first 17 seasons combined! During his eleven-year tenure in Indianapolis so far, Vinatieri has converted 86.7% of his field goals. He’s still kicking at a very high level, he’s still very reliable, he’s still clutch, and he’s still a great influence in the locker room. We’ve seen kicker issues around the NFL in recent seasons, and that should be an even bigger reminder that for as long as Vinatieri is capable of producing like he has been, the Colts should be willing to have him around.