Few fans could have expected Adam Vinatieri to have this long of a career. He has been in the NFL longer than Colts' 2019 second-round pick Parris Campbell has been alive.
But as Campbell was just getting his career started on Sunday, grabbing his first career touchdown reception, Vinatieri appeared to show his age. The 46-year-old kicker missed two point-after tries, including one following Campbell's score. He has missed three PATs out of five attempts and two of three field-goal attempts in two games so far this season.
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee, an ex-teammate of Vinatieri with the Colts who hosts a new daily show on DAZN (10 a.m. ET-noon), said on his show that he spoke with Vinatieri on Sunday night and reported that the veteran feels like he is a "liability" to the Colts. He did not, however, speculate on what the kicker's future plans might be.
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"It did feel as if the only thing he's upset about is that he's letting his teammates down," McAfee said. "He's always said as long as I continue to be an asset for the team, I'll continue doing it. He's been kicking 60-yarders all the way till age 45, 46 now. He's been an incredibly consistent kicker for this entire run right now. But right now, I think Vinatieri has the feeling where he's letting his teammates down, and he doesn't like that."
Vinatieri made his NFL debut in 1996 with the New England Patriots, a team with whom he would win three Super Bowls. He left New England in 2005 to play for the Colts, where he won a fourth title. He is the NFL's all-time leader in points (2,603), field goals made (583) and consecutive field goal tries without a miss (44).
The future NFL Hall of Famer has reportedly been considering retirement, but Colts coach Frank Reich told reporters on Monday that he remains the kicker for Indianapolis.
McAfee said watching Vinatieri on Sunday, it appeared he was struggling to plant.
"Will he be able to figure it out?" McAfee asked. "I'm not sure."
"A lot of people were thinking, 'Oh, good story it would be for him to retire.' Lot of people suggesting he's going to. I have no idea," McAfee said. "If he does, I was very lucky to be a teammate, a friend of his. If he doesn't, I hope he gets back out there like the South Dakota Jackrabbit he is and kicks the hell out of that pigskin and wins another Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts, who by the way are a good football team again."
