Adam Vinatieri on Tuesday was announced as one of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
This marks the second consecutive time Vinatieri has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame. Last year, in his first year of eligibility, he was also a finalist but was not selected as a first-ballot Hall of Famer despite being regarded as the best kicker in NFL history.
"He's the greatest kicker of all time," Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason said on Tuesday. "He's the greatest kicker in playoff history, he can do it in all weather, he kicked at a high level well into his 40s. I think the list could go on. I think we all know that Adam Vinatieri is the best kicker of all time and should absolutely be in the Hall of Fame."
Mason, who knows numbers and statistics like the back of his hand, is right -- the list could, and does, go on. In his 24-year NFL career, Vinatieri has done what literally no other NFL kicker has ever done before.
To start, he is the NFL's all-time leader in points scored (2,673) and was a three-time first-team AP All-Pro. He holds a litany of other NFL records, including but not nearly limited to: most field goals made (799), most extra points made in a Super Bowl (13), most Super Bowl wins by a kicker (4), most Player of the Week awards won by a kicker (18) and most postseason field goals in a career (56).
Vinatieri spent his career with the New England Patriots (1996-2005) and the Indianapolis Colts (2006-2019) and has already been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2000s first team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team. He would become only the third kicker to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For more on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's selection process and how Vinatieri (and fellow finalist Reggie Wayne) stack up as candidates this year, check out the The Colts Show Podcast linked above, or via these links:
