Though it may come on the back of his worst season, it appears the time has come for veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri and the Indianapolis Colts to part ways.
The 47-year-old missed a career-high 14 kicks during the 2019 season and also ended his campaign on the injured reserve to undergo knee surgery. His age, production decline and the fact that he’s a pending free agent point to his return being unlikely.
But the Colts don’t need to worry—they already have his replacement on the roster.
When Vinatieri had to be placed on the injured reserve list, the Colts signed rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin, who had already spent time with four other teams during the 2019 season.
The undrafted rookie played well for the Colts in his four-game stretch. He made five of his six field-goal attempts and converted all 11 of his extra-point attempts. It was a nice showing of consistency at a position that didn’t show much of it during the season.
Vinatieri’s legacy shouldn’t be defined by his poor 2019 campaign. He’s the NFL’s all-time leading scorer and leader in converted field goals for a reason. He was immensely consistent. But it’s time for the Colts to move on.
McLaughlin is already under contract for the 2020 season after the Colts signed him to a one-year extension almost as soon as the offseason began for them.
The Colts were impressed with McLaughlin, and he could be a solid option at kicker while also having the chance to be a mainstay for a while given that he is only 23 years old.
The Colts have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, but their choice at the kicker position should already be made.