Patriots' Super Bowl hero returning home vs. the Jets is a big deal

If you followed the birth of the New England Patriots dynasty, chances are Adam Vinatieri is on your list of heroes. Regarded as the best clutch kicker in the history of the NFL, Vinatieri's game-winning field goals gave the Patriots their first two Super Bowl titles, and you probably remember those pulse-pounding kicks in the "Snow Bowl" playoff game against the Raiders in January 2002.

On Sunday, Vinatieri, who last played in 2019 and retired in 2021 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, will return to Foxborough as the "Keeper of the Light. " Prior to kickoff against the New York Jets, he'll ring the bell high atop the Gillette Stadium lighthouse.

Vinatieri entered the NFL in 1996 and played with the Patriots until the 2005 season, after which he signed with Indianapolis as a free agent. He spent the rest of his career with the Colts, retiring as a three-time Super Bowl champion at the age of 48. Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer, and his 1,158 points as a Patriot trail only Stephen Gostkowski's 1,775.

There's no doubt Vinatieri provided many heart-stopping moments during his time in Foxborough, and Sunday will mark his first return to New England without a Colts uniform. The 45-yard field goal that sent the 2002 divisional playoff game against the Raiders into overtime in a blizzard is arguably the best clutch kick in the NFL's history.

Later that playoff run, Vinatieri delivered the Patriots' first Super Bowl championship with a walk-off field goal against the Rams, which remains the only field goal in Super Bowl history.

Even though Vinatieri left for Indianapolis for the 2006 season, his legacy in New England is cemented for life, and he will always hold a place in sports lore in New England.

Those moments during his time as a Patriot make him extremely deserving of this honor. As great as Tom Brady was, those first three championships would not have happened if not for Vinatieri. During the early to mid-1990s, the Patriots had a lot of instability at the kicker position, but that changed when Vinatieri arrived in Foxborough in 1996, a place he'd stay for nearly a decade.

Is Vinatieri one of the best kickers, if not the best, in the history of the NFL? He most certainly is. And hopefully, when he's up for the Hall of Fame in 2025, he gets his rightful place in Canton.

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