Indianapolis announced that Vinatieri will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during their Week 6 matchup against the Titans, adding another chapter to one of the greatest kicking careers in NFL history.
Vinatieri played 24 seasons in the league, spending 10 years with the Patriots and 14 with the Colts. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer with 2,673 points and the league’s all-time leader in made field goals with 599. He also hit 874 extra points and appeared in 365 regular-season games.
But the numbers only tell part of it.
Vinatieri built his legacy on the biggest stages. He won four Super Bowls, three with New England and one with Indianapolis, and became the definition of clutch with game-winning kicks in some of the biggest moments the sport has ever seen. In the playoffs, he still owns NFL records with 56 made field goals and 238 postseason points.
He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro, a three-time Pro Bowler, a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Not many kickers become household names. Vinatieri did because every time the game was on the line, it felt like the ball was already through the uprights.