Adam Vinatieri Wants to Return for 25th NFL Season Amid Knee Injury Rehab

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, the oldest active NFL player at 47 years old, told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that he wants to play a 25th season on Wednesday:

On March 31, the Indianapolis Star's Jim Ayello reported that the Colts remained undecided about whether to re-sign Vinatieri, who played on a one-year deal last season.

"(We plan) to have a sitdown with Adam and see where he's at once he's a little further along in that process," head coach Frank Reich told Ayello, referencing the kicker's knee rehabilitation.

Vinatieri's 2019 campaign was shortened when he underwent season-ending knee surgery after the Colts sent him to injured reserve on Dec. 9.

Vinatieri struggled mightily through the first two weeks of last season. In the Colts' season-opener, the three-time All-Pro missed one extra point and two field goals as the team fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 30-24. The following week against the Tennessee Titans he missed two of three extra-point attempts.

Following Indianapolis' 19-17 Week 2 win over Tennessee, many thought Vinatieri had hinted that he was going to call it a career. "You'll hear from me tomorrow," he told The Athletic's Stephen Holder when heading to the team bus despite the fact that Mondays are off days for players.

However, he didn't comment until Tuesday of that week.

"I'm going to work a lot this week to get those demons so I can go clear-headed, step on the field and just do my job," Vinatieri said, according to ESPN's Mike Wells. He also noted he had not considered retirement despite his shaky start.

Vinatieri rebounded nicely in the ensuing weeks until he missed a key extra point in Week 10. The Colts ultimately lost to the lowly Miami Dolphins 16-12. Vinatieri had missed his extra point early in the fourth quarter that would have given Indy a 13-10 lead. Instead, Miami got a field goal on the ensuing drive to take a 13-12 lead.

"Really, no comment," Reich told reporters after the loss. "We've been committed to [Vinatieri]. We're going to always evaluate. Everybody gets measured. Everybody is held accountable, from top to bottom. That's always the case. Nothing meant to read into that. That's the reality of the business. There's been no discussions about that between [general manager] Chris [Ballard] and I. That's just the business."

Vinatieri initially signed with the Colts as a free agent in 2006, and he secured his fourth Super Bowl ring with Indianapolis in his first season with the team. 

From 1996 to 2005, he won his first three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. Perhaps his two most famous kicks came as game-winners in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII.

The first came against the then-St. Louis Rams. A 29-year-old Vinatieri nailed a 48-yarder to land the Patriots their first championship in franchise history. Two years later, he hit a 41-yarder to beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 and capture title No. 2.

Vinatieri leaves the NFL as the league's all-time leader in points scored with 2,673. The next closest player is former kicker Morten Andersen at 2,544.

The place kickers on the Colts' roster are 24-year-old Chase McLaughlin and Rodrigo Blankenship, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent over the weekend.