Adam Vinatieri is officially the NFL's all-time leader in made field goals. During the second quarter of a game against the Houston Texans, the 45-year-old Indianapolis Colts kicker hit his 566th field goal since joining the league in 1996. That number was good for one more than his fellow, seemingly ageless kicker Morten Anderson.
Adam Vinatieri has the most field goals in @NFL history. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PlFeLrPtAp
Vinatieri has played in the NFL for an astonishing 23 seasons. In that time he's won three Super Bowls, two with the New England Patriots and one with the Colts. In both of those Patriots' Super Bowls, Vinatieri hit the game-winning field goal and earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch" for his penchant to nail high-pressure kicks.
Vinatieri also holds the NFL record for field goals made in the postseason with 56, points scored in the postseason with 234 and had the hottest streak of any kicker in NFL history when he hit 44 consecutive field goals between September 2015 and November 2016.
As far as kicking records go, there's only one major one left for Vinatieri. Anderson still holds the league record for most points scored all-time. As of this writing, the almost-certain Hall of Famer is only 30 points away from that mark.
To give you an idea of how long ago Vinatieri started in the NFL, check out this clip of first professional kick in the NFL way back on September 1, 1996.
What a career for @adamvinatieri!
Before he was "Automatic Adam," he was an undrafted kicker out of South Dakota State who spent a year kicking in Europe.
Then he signed with the @Patriots and made his first career FG on Sept. 1, 1996.
The rest is history. pic.twitter.com/0QYnsARlHr
