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Adam Vinatieri announced on Wednesday that he would be retiring from the NFL after 24 seasons. Vinatieri had one of the most successful runs as a kicker in the league's history and leads the NFL in career field goals (599).
The New England Patriots signed the undrafted free agent kicker out of South Dakota State in 1996. Adam Vinatieri played 10 seasons with the Patriots before joining the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. He retires with a field goal percentage of 83.8% and an extra point percentage of 97.3%.
"By Friday, if paperwork goes in, you heard it here first," Vinatieri said on the Pat McAfee Show.
The future Hall of Famer is the NFL's all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points. Over the course of his NFL career, Adam Vinatieri hit 29 game-winning field goals, including in Super Bowls 36 and 38.
His most famous kick came against Oakland in the 2001 AFC playoffs when he made a 45-yarder in blizzard-like conditions to send the game into overtime before going on to kick the winner.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick hailed Vinatieri as the greatest kicker of all time.
"His consistency, mental toughness and performance under pressure was legendary," Belichick said in a statement. "I am honored to have coached Adam, going all the way back to his rookie year in 1996 and through some of the most special moments in Patriots and league history. Adam is in the rarest of echelon of athletes whose career accomplishments may never be matched."
The historic career of Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his time comes to be selected. His four Super Bowl championships -- three with the Patriots and one with the Colts -- are the most for any kicker.
During the 2018-19 season, the NFL selected its top 100 players of all time and Vinatieri was one of just two kickers on the list.
Adam Vinatieri's NFL Accomplishments
- 1996 NFL All-Rookie Team
- 4×Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLI)
- 3 Pro Bowl selections
- 3 First-Team All-Pro
- 19 Player of the Week selections
- 5 Player of the Month selections
- Most consecutive field goals made (44)
- Most combined regular season and postseason games played (397)
- Most career field goals made (599)
- Most career field goals attempted (715)
- Most career points (2,673)
Adam Vinatieri has also put together a statline that will be hard to replicate for any kicker in the NFL.
A generational talent in the kicker position, Vinatieri will be genuinely missed by the NFL and its fans.
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