Leave it to Adam Vinatieri to get a leg up on his impending Canton call.
While the path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame has always been steep and rocky for Vinatieri's kicker kind, an illustrious career that featured countless clutch contributions and ended atop the NFL's scoring ledgers has left little doubt that his invitation is already in the mail. Once inducted, Vinatieri will become only the third exclusive kicker to get a bust, joining Morten Andersen and Jan Stenerud.
Set to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2025, the legendary New England Patriots leg spoke about presumptive entry during a Friday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," promising that the Sam Adams will flow once he gets the call.
“It would be a (heck) of a party if it happens,” Vinatieri said. "I’ve got some thoughts on it but let’s not put the carrot in front of the horse. Let’s get there first.”
Special teams enthusiasts would no doubt consider being flies on the wall of the Indianapolis Colts' meeting room between 2009 and 2016: the Colts specialists' depth charts featured two of the most influential booters in NFL history, as Vinatieri took over the triple and extra point duties while McAfee was the team's demonstrative punter before becoming a multi-platform, multimedia sensation.
With that in mind, Vinatieri publicly offered McAfee the honor of introducing him if and when the time comes.
"You could introduce me, if you wanted to," Vinatieri declared. "It’s an open invitation.”
Even if he wasn't interested in speaking, McAfee said that he had long planned to be in Canton for Vinatieri's inevitable induction, to the point he would take his show on the road for the occasion.
“That would be an honor," McAfee said. "I just want to let you know that you’re talking about the after-party being the greatest; that introduction would be the greatest.”
While Vinatieri wound up spending most of his career with the Colts, his ultimate legacy undoubtedly lies in New England: his 48-yard boot at the end of Super Bowl XXXVI set the tone for the Patriots' two-decade run of uninterrupted success, clinching the first of six championship victories with a 20-17 triumph over the St. Louis Rams. Vinatieri would repeat the feat two seasons later against Carolina and was also a part of the third Super Bowl win against Philadelphia just over a year later.
In addition to one more championship ring, Vinatieri set numerous NFL records with a horseshoe on his helmet. Upon his retirement after the 2019 season, Vinatieri stood (and continues to stand) as the NFL's leader in points (2,673), most career field goals (599), and most games played in the regular season and postseason combined (397), solidifying his Canton case despite the establishment's apparent prejudice toward specialists.
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