Former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri splits the uprights into Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class
Adam Vinatieri has kicked down the door to Canton.
The former New England Patriots specialist got the call as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026, it was announced during Thursday night’s NFL Honors in San Francisco.
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Among the 15 modern-era player finalists for consecutive years, enshrinement now awaits for Vinatieri. He will join 1991 inductee Jan Stenerud and 2017 inductee Morten Andersen as just the third full-time kicker to be fitted for a gold jacket.
Vinatieri, 53, joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent by way of South Dakota State and the World League of American Football’s Amsterdam Admirals in 1996. He went on to spend 10 of his 24 NFL seasons in Foxborough, earning spots on the franchise’s All-1990s, All-2000s, 50th Anniversary and All-Dynasty teams, before departing for the Indianapolis Colts in 2006.
Retiring in 2021, Vinatieri’s career spanned 365 games in the regular season and 32 games in the postseason. The NFL’s all-time leader with 599 field goals made and 2,673 points scored would collect XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLI rings along the way. A three-time Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection, he holds a place on the NFL’s All-2000s and 100th Anniversary rosters.
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From the AFC East to the AFC South, Vinatieri stands as the only player in league history to have accounted for 1,000 points with two different clubs. His 56 playoff field goals included a 45-yard tyer and a 23-yard overtime winner in the divisional round’s driving snow against the Oakland Raiders. Last-second Lombardi Trophy strikes from 48 yards away against the St. Louis Rams and 41 yards away Carolina Panthers followed.
“You always knew that when he kicked, they were going to go in,” AP NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel recalled during his Thursday press conference leading up to Super Bowl LX. “I think that was just kind of what we always thought and knew if we got into those types of situations. The kick in the snow, that’s probably the greatest feat — one of the greatest feats I’ve ever seen on a football field. You could barely run, let alone approach and kick a football that length. So, obviously we talked about everybody means a lot to the team. During those years that I was here, Adam was certainly one of those players that meant a lot to the football team and to our success.”
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026 also includes quarterback Drew Brees, running back Roger Craig, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and linebacker Luke Kuechly. Enshrinement in Ohio is set for Aug. 8.
