
- Adam Vinatieri offered an ominous post-game quote after the Indianapolis Colts' win on Sunday that seemed to infer he was planning to retire this week.
- Vinatieri got off to a brutal start to the 2019 season, missing three extra points that proved costly.
- Should he decide to hang up his cleats, Vinatieri will go down as one of the greatest kickers in NFL history.
Adam Vinatieri sounded like a man close to retirement after the Colts beat the Titans 19-17 on Sunday.
Stephen Holder, who covers the Colts for The Athletic, caught up with Vinatieri after the game, during which Vinatieri missed two extra points for Indianapolis. While Vinatieri avoided saying anything too specific, it doesn't take much effort to read between the lines.
Vinatieri had a brutal start to the season with the Colts. In the team's opening game against the Chargers, Vinatieri missed two field goals and one extra point in a game they would go on to lose in overtime.
On Sunday, Vinatieri missed two more extra points, leaving the Colts vulnerable to a last-second drive from the Titans.
Thankfully for Vinatieri, his misses didn't cost the Colts the game this time, as the Indianapolis defense was able to hold off the Titans on the final drive of the game.
Still, two games into the season, Vinatieri has cost his team one game and nearly cost them another. While the Colts voiced support for Vinatieri after their Week 1 loss, after another week's worth of struggles, it sounds like Vinatieri might be ready to hang up his cleats on his own.
Vinatieri will go down as one of the greatest kickers to ever lace up in the NFL. He's a 24-year veteran of the league but played for just two teams - the Colts and the New England Patriots - for the entirety of his career. He's a four-time Super Bowl champion, having made some of the biggest kicks the NFL can offer, including a 48-yard game-winner as time expired in Super Bowl XXXVI to give the Patriots their first title and start the greatest dynasty in league history.
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Just grabbed Adam Vinatieri was he headed to the bus. He said "you'll here from me tomorrow." I told him we don't see him tomorrow. And he said, "Yeah, you will."
- Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 15, 2019
: Adam Vinatieri misses his third extra point in two games. pic.twitter.com/BQWvfTfRui
- SportsLine (@SportsLine) September 15, 2019
Adam Vinatieri Exhale! The Colts defense comes up huge on Tennessee's final drive as Indianapolis hangs on 19-17.
pic.twitter.com/NgXJpdRPEm
- NFL Guy95 (@NFLFBGAMETIME) September 15, 2019