#TBT: Adam Vinatieri Pulled the “Anti-Kevin Durant” by Signing with Colts in 2006

While NBA superstar Kevin Durant has drawn a heavy load of criticism for bolting the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors–the latter who just beat his old team in the Western Conference Finals, the Indianapolis Colts have their own infamous story of a star player jumping ship to a heated conference rival with placekicker Adam Vinatieri as the main character.

Only then, it was the other way around.

Entering the 2006 offseason, Vinatieri was a free agent after his former team, the New England Patriots opted not to place the $3M franchise tag on the team’s beloved veteran kicker because of salary cap concerns.

At that point in time, the 34 year old kicker had already provided the Patriots with game-winning kicks in 2 of the team’s 3 recent Super Bowl wins. The 2x All-Pro was the Patriots all-time leading scorer with 1,158 career points and had his reputation cemented as the clutchest kicker in league history.

The Patriots like the Warriors were just one season removed from winning a Super Bowl, having recently established themselves as back-to-back Super Bowl Champions from 2003-04.

However, with contract talks at a stalemate with the Patriots, Vinatieri did not hesitate to proceed further with his agent when the Indianapolis Colts demonstrated significant interest:

"“When the Colts called, I told my agent, `Let’s not screw around,’ ” said Vinatieri via The Boston Globe’s Jackie MacMullan. “I told him, `If Indy is interested, let’s get this done.’ “"

Of course, the Colts were not just any team, but rather the Patriots longtime bitter rival–only the Colts had largely been on the losing end of the two teams’ heated matchups.

While from 2002-05, the Colts actually were the winningest regular season team with a 48-16 (.750) record that bested the Patriots 47-17 (.734), it was the Patriots who actually had the Super Bowl rings to show for it, having won 2 of the last 4 Super Bowls to the Colts zero.

In particular, the Colts struggled against the Patriots during that span with a 1-4 record, including two tough season-ending playoff losses.

At the end of the 2005 season though, it wasn’t the Patriots who actually ended the Colts season, as the AFC wildcard Pittsburgh Steelers upset Indianapolis 21-18 in the Divisional Round, as kicker Mike Vanderjagt‘s would be game-tying 47-yard kick sailed wide right in the game’s closing seconds. (Side note: I’m sorry everyone)

It’s worth noting that Vanderjagt was the league’s most accurate kicker at the time; however, the Colts knew that having a kicker of Vinatieri’s proven champion pedigree–who had ice in his veins in the game’s biggest moments, could be the difference between hoisting the Lombardi trophy and undergoing more painful postseason losses.

Not to mention, steal a great player from their longtime rival’s championship kitchen cabinet.

That’s why the Colts were stunned that the Patriots were low-balling their prolific placekicker and that contract talks had reached such a standstill:

"“I grabbed my guys and said, `Why is Adam Vinatieri visiting other teams?'” said former Colts head coach Tony Dungy before the Colts engaged Vinatieri in free agency. “I asked them, `Do you think he’s serious about this? Shouldn’t we be contacting him?’ “"

Once Indianapolis understood that Vinatieri and his representation were seriously entertaining other teams’ offers, the Colts entered the free agency fray and made a significant offer to the veteran kicker:

"`We had a good understanding of what the market was, and what we’d have to pay for the position, and we made an offer,” said former Colts general manager Bill Polian. “Once the agent communicated to us this was not a ruse to get a few more bucks out of New England, we got things done very quickly.”“The final negotiations were done within a matter of 24 hours,” added Polian."

When the dust settled, the Colts and Vinatieri agreed to a 5-year, $12 million deal with a $3.5 million signing bonus, making him the highest paid kicker in football.

The former Patriots kicking legend had no regrets upon signing with the Colts, noting that the NFL is a business and that he had moved on with his new team:

"“Everybody knows I had a great run in New England,” said Vinatieri after inking his new contract with the Colts. “I enjoyed my experience there, but this is a business.”“The Patriots clearly expressed to me that it was a business by the decisions they made. So I had to examine my options.”“It was a great chapter in my life, but I’ve moved on,” added Vinatieri in the aftermath. “There will always be a special place in my heart for the Patriots and the fans, I won’t deny that. But it’s disrespectful to my current team to be in that mind-set.“I’m a Colts fan now.”"

The rest is history, as behind the golden leg of Vinatieri, the 2006 Colts finally made their long overdue magical Super Bowl run.

Specifically, Vinatieri made 5 of 5 field goals on the road for the team’s only points against the stingy defense of the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round, as the Colts narrowly won 15-6 in a dogfight.

However, his crowning Colts moment perhaps came a game later, when Vinatieri’s Colts beat their arch-nemesis and his former team, the New England Patriots, 38-34 in the AFC Championship game–finally getting the figurative monkey off their back that had haunted the team for seemingly so long.

It’s worth noting that Vinatieri was 3-3 in that game on field goal attempts, as well as extra points respectively–including the game’s final point on a PAT which effectively made it a two score game.

The Colts would go on to beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in order to finally become World Champions, winning the franchise’s long-awaited 1st Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Now the Colts franchise’s career scoring leader with 1,095 career points and still kicking at 43 years old, it’s a free agency move that clearly paid off for both sides–Patriots be damned.