Officially, Indianapolis Colts are not concerned about kicker Adam Vinatieri’s struggles in 2019. But, unofficially, the team is already looking for a backup plan if they continue.
Colts organized a workout on Tuesday during which they gathered intel on kickers Mike Nugent, Nick Rose, Elliott Fry, and Greg Joseph. The team did not offer a contract to anyone at the moment, but they reportedly want to be ready if they decide to make a change at the position.
Indianapolis is still publicly sticking with Vinatieri, with the team’s head coach Frank Reich saying after the workout that he is the team’s kicker moving forward.
“Adam’s our kicker,” – Reich told reporters. “(General manager) Chris (Ballard) and I have talked about the situation. Obviously there have been other kickers in here. … When you take a look, we believe Adam is the answer.”
Adam Vinatieri has been far from his usual form in 2019, making some big misses that heavily influenced the outcome of Colts’ games. Vinatieri opened the season by missing two field goals and one extra point against Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 and followed that up two PAT misses in Week 2.
Vinatieri reportedly considered retirement after this, but ended up changing his mind. Still, the 46-year-old continued to struggle with efficiency and contributed to at least two losses with his misses. He is now 14-of-19 on FGs while also failing to convert six extra points.
Vinatieri has been with Indianapolis since 2005, making one Pro Bowl appearance and helping the team to win Super Bowl XLI.
