NFL analyst predicts Adam Vinatieri will be named to the Hall of Fame

In September, eight former players for the Indianapolis Colts were nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, with just two - Reggie Wayne and Adam Vinatieri - making it to the final round.

167 players were nominated, before a screening committee reduced the nominees to just 50. The full 50-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee then chose 25 semifinalists, and a second vote got us our 15 finalists, with the new class chosen at the annual meeting before of Super Bowl LVIX. While a handful of players from the AFC South were nominated, only one was named a finalist along with Wayne and Vinatieri: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor. Other notable finalists include Peyton Manning's brother, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, and San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.

Under the Hall of Fame bylaws, three, four, or five players can be chosen. To be eligible, a player must have played their last game at least five seasons ago, so someone who last played in 2019 is eligible for the first time in 2025.

And while it's still not known for sure who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, NFL.com's Adam Rank has made his predictions of who he thinks will be chosen, and only one Colt made the list: Adam Vinatieri.

"I don't think special-teamers have received a fair shake over the years. Kicker Jan Stenerud was a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 1991 and we didn't see another pure specialist inducted until punter Ray Guy in 2014. Since then, kicker Morten Andersen (2017) and return specialist Devin Hester (2024) have been enshrined. So, we're cool with special-teamers now? OK, good. So, I believe Vinatieri will get in on the first ballot, no question. He made the game-tying and game-winning kicks in the famed “Tuck Rule” game. He hit the walk-off against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, and kicked the game-winner against the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He provided plenty of other memorable moments. I mean, he's the all-time leader in career points (2,673). This one is pretty easy."

It's hard to argue with his logic here; Vinatieri is a legendary kicker who deserves to be recognized. He's one of the best kickers in NFL history, and while Rank made sure to repeatedly point out that this is just a prediction, and not an indication of how he plans to vote, the idea of Vinatieri not making it is mind-boggling. There's no world in which Vinatieri doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and hopefully the voters recognize that.