Even at the age of 46, Indianapolis Colts’ kicker Adam Vinatieri isn’t ready to say goodbye to football. Instead, Vinatieri will sign a new deal with the Colts’ and return for his 24th NFL season in 2019, team’s general manager Chris Ballard confirmed on Friday.
The terms of Vinatieri’s deal have not been made public, but according to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, the two sides agreed to a one-year contract.
The news was later confirmed on the Colts’ official social media.
Adam Vinatieri had a solid season in 2018, making 23 field goals out of 27 attempted, with the longest one being 54 yards, while making 44 of 47 extra points. He also finished the year having broken two major records. In Week 4, Vinatieri made his 566th career FG, which meant he surpassed Morten Andersen, who held the previous mark with 565. Then in Week 8, he earned 2,547 points and surpassed Andersen and his previous record of 2,544 career points.
With these and several other NFL records under his belt, Adam Vinatieri now only can only chase longevity goals. Since he will be 47 towards the end of the 2019 season, he can join George Blanda and Morten Andersen as the third player to score at that age. Also, Vinatieri can try to become the oldest player to play in an NFL game, but he would then have to play until the start of 2021 season in order to pass Blanda who was 48 years, 109 days old when he played his last professional game.
Adam Vinatieri started his football career in NFL Europe, before joining the New England Patriots in 1996. After nine years with the Pats, he signed with the Colts in 2005 and was team’s starting kicker ever since. Vinatieri’s career accomplishments include four Super Bowl rings, three Pro Bowl selections, and three First-team All-Pro honors.
