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. “Honoured 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.
“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.
“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.”