Former Colts K Adam Vinatieri Might Not Be Ready For Start Of 2020 Season

According to Tom Pelissero, former Colts K Adam Vinatieri is still hoping to return for his 25th season in 2020. 

However, the 47-year-old kicker says the shutdowns from the pandemic have impacted his rehab from knee surgery. As a result, Vinatieri isn’t sure if he’ll be ready by the start of the season. 

Pelissero says Vinatieri had surgery in December on his left, plant leg that removed a chunk of his patellar tendon and cleaned up other areas like his meniscus.

While it estimated as a six-month recovery, the pandemic has complicated that timeline with the challenges of accessing a professional gym or physical therapist. 

Vinatieri is currently a free agent after his contract with the Colts expired. He struggled through the 2019 season with an injury and ended up going on injured reserve. 

Some had wondered if Vinatieri would retire early last season as he struggled, but he returned to the team before suffering the knee injury. It appears he’s still hoping to continue his career. 

Whether that’s with the Colts is uncertain. Indianapolis claimed Chase McLaughlin off waivers last season and signed former Georgia K Rodrigo Blankenship as an undrafted free agent today. 

Vinatieri, 47, originally signed on with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State back in 1996. He played seven years in New England before signing on with the Colts in 2006.

Since then, Vinatieri has played another 13 years in Indianapolis before agreeing to a one-year contract worth $3.875 million this past March. 

In 2019, Vinatieri appeared in 12 games for the Colts and converted 17 of 25 field goal attempts (68 percent) to go along with 22 of 28 (78.6 percent) extra point tries.

We’ll have more on Vinatieri as the news is available.