Indianapolis Colts veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri will reportedly undergo surgery on his knee and will be placed on the injured reserve list, effectively ending his season.
Vinatieri missed Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to the knee injury, and there were questions as to whether this might be the end of his 2019 season—and potentially his career.
While there are no certainties about his future, we know Vinatieri won’t be kicking again in 2019, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
It has been a rough season for Vinatieri, who has missed a career-high 14 combined kicks. He has missed eight field-goal attempts and six extra-point attempts.
Though he’s beloved by the fans and is certainly a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Vinatieri’s final season will be one riddled with disappointments. There were many instances the Colts could have pulled out a win had Vinatieri returned to form.
Replacing Vinatieri will be the rookie Chase McLaughlin, who got his first start with the Colts on Sunday against the Bucs. He made two of three field-goal attempts and all three of his extra-point attempts.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Vinatieri but for now, he has to undergo surgery to repair the injured knee.
