Odds Say Adam Vinatieri Will Not Retire Before End of 2019 NFL Season

• Adam Vinatieri has made just 37.5% of his kicks through two weeks
• The 46-year-old kicker has denied reports that he’s considering retirement
• If performances like this continue, would the Colts consider cutting him?

Adam Vinatieri nearly cost the Indianapolis Colts another win this week, shanking two extra points before their defense closed out a 19-17 win over Tennessee. This came on the heels of two missed field goals and an extra point in a 30-24 loss to the Chargers.

Despite Indy potentially being a 2-0 team with better performances from their kicker, they aren’t considering moving on from Vinatieri, nor is he considering retiring. While the odds pointed to Vinatieri calling it quits after the year, oddsmakers seem to agree that the future Hall of Famer will last until seasons end.

Will Adam Vinatieri Retire During the 2019 Season

*All odds taken 09/17/19.

Has Vinatieri’s age caught up with him or can he shake this slump he’s in before retirement is forced upon him?

Vinatieri’s Unprecedented Struggles

Only three other players have even kicked in the NFL at age 46 or over. At age 46, John Carney came out of retirement for a two game stint with the Saints, which went fine. Beyond that, Hall of Famers George Blanda and Morten Andersen are the only two to play a full season at this age, and neither one ever had a stretch of bad kicks quite like this.

Adam Vinatieri Career Stats vs 2019

If you include a bad showing in the playoffs versus Kansas City, Vinatieri has made just 36.3% of his total kicks in his last three games.

Granted, the extra point used to be a lot shorter, but neither Blanda or Andersen ever had to shake off a slump like this at their advanced age. It’s unclear if it can even be done.

Heck, we’ve seen a slump like this ruin the career of many a younger kicker. But since Vinatieri has built up the reputation as perhaps the most clutch kicker of all time, he’s earned some time to figure it out. Especially since the group of kickers the Colts brought in for a tryout aren’t exactly names with a history of success.

#Colts brought in 6 kickers for tryouts, per @FieldYates: Cody Parkey, Elliott Fry, Greg Joseph, Younghoe Koo, Cole Hedlund and Chase McLaughlin.

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) September 17, 2019

It’s easy to see why the Colts are sticking it out with their veteran a little longer. But this week, if Vinatieri can’t show an improvement kicking indoors, his seat will get piping hot.

What’s the Best Bet?

The odds on Vinatieri retiring here are too enticing to pass up. You don’t want to root against a living legend, but the Colts have realistic playoff hopes and every miss-aimed swing of the leg he takes hurts those chances.

If Indy does decide they’re better off without him, expect him to retire. It’s a far better fate than joining one of the other kicker needy teams like the Jets down the stretch.