2018 Colts Free Agent Decisions: Kicker Adam Vinatieri

The Colts would love to bring Adam Vinatieri back next season, but will he want to come back to Indianapolis for his 23rd year in the NFL?

Adam Vinatieri will turn 45 years old before the end of the 2017 season, and he’s still one of the best kickers in the league.

He’s missed four field goals this season, but they’ve all come in pretty terrible conditions in nasty weather games in Buffalo and Baltimore. He’s missed a couple of extra points this year, but overall his level of play hasn’t fallen off much during his 20+ years in the league.

Most of the other teams in the NFL would pay a premium for a kicker as reliable as Vinatieri, so there’s no doubt that general manager Chris Ballard would bring him back if he wants to play in Indianapolis.

However, Vinatieri will likely strongly consider retirement as he has for the last few seasons. There is also a possibility that he would want to play for a team in Super Bowl contention, and the Colts may not be ready to compete at that level in 2018.

His quotes from last season suggest that retirement isn’t at the front of his mind:

"“Yeah, you know I still love the game as much as I ever have,” Vinatieri told Pro Football Talk last May. “It’s fun running out onto the field. It’s much more fun playing in the playoffs. Cleaning out your locker the first week of January is not a whole lot of fun and it always leaves a lousy taste in your mouth. I still love running out onto the field. I still think I can help our team win games and why not keep going?”"

While Vinatieri’s field goal accuracy has been in decline for each of the past three seasons, the Colts don’t have a succession plan in place at kicker and not having a reliable placekicker is a dangerous proposition for an NFL team.

If I had to make a prediction, I think Adam Vinatieri will be kicking for the Colts again next season on another one-year deal.

Next: Andrew Luck to Start Throwing, Could Need Surgery

Here are some other free agents who will create some tough decisions this offseason:

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