Adam Vinatieri could lose out on $500,000 for trying to kick field goal in a blizzard
Adam Vinatieri is one of the best kickers in NFL history, but even he was no match for the blizzard that blew through Buffalo on Sunday.
In the Colts' 13-7 loss to the Bills, Vinatieri missed multiple field goals (0 for 2) in a game for the first time since November 2012. In the first quarter, the Colts trotted him out for a 33-yard attempt that never really came close to making it.
Good try, good effort, Adam Vinatieri pic.twitter.com/WG0NTcz0xi — Richard Lee-Sam (@RLeesam) December 10, 2017
Here's a tip for the Colts: The next time you play in a blizzard, maybe don't try a field goal in arctic conditions.
Vinatieri then got another chance at a field goal on the final play of regulation. With the score tied at seven, the Colts kicker missed a 43-yard field goal that would have won the game. The Colts actually felt good about that kick because Vinatieri had hit a 43-yard extra point just one minute earlier on a conversion that will likely go down as the greatest extra point in NFL history.
Adam Vinatieri should be put in the Hall of Fame tonight after making this extra point #Bills #Colts #INDvsBUF pic.twitter.com/ivhM0E7Jbf — John Breech (@johnbreech) December 10, 2017
Just to give you an idea of how absurd that extra point was, here's what the field looked like as Vinatieri attempted the kick.
Here's a great @MattKryger shot of Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard, game-tying extra point. Vinny called it the greatest extra point of his career. pic.twitter.com/FzI5zuATmt — Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) December 10, 2017
So what does all of this have to do with money?
As noted by former NFL agent and CBSSports.com contributor Joel Corry, Vinatieri actually has a clause in his contract that calls for a $500,000 bonus if he makes 90 percent or more of his field goals this season.
Going into Sunday's game, Vinatieri was a hitting a rock solid 95.7 percent of his kicks (22 of 23) on the year. However, thanks to the blizzard and his 0-for-2 performance, Vinatieri is now 22 of 25 on the season, which drops him to just 88 percent.
To hit the 90 percent mark, Vinatieri is going to have to go 3-for-3 or better over the Colts' final three games, which definitely seems plausible. However, if he misses just one more field goal this year, then things get a little murkier.
If Vinatieri were to miss a kick against the Broncos this week, that would give him four misses on the season and he would have to go 36 of 40 to hit the 90 percent mark. If that happens, then Vinatieri would have to average five field goal attempts per game over the final three weeks, which would be almost impossible in the Colts offense. Through 14 weeks, Vinatieri has yet to try five field goals in even one game, and has only attempted four field goals in the same game one time this season.
Basically, if Vinatieri closes out the season by hitting 100 percent of his kicks and makes three or more field goals, he's going to get the $500,000. However, if he misses just one more kick, he'll likely miss out on the money and it will be almost all because of the blizzard. If the Colts are nice, they'll cut him a check just because he hit the most impossible extra point of all-time.
The 44-year-old, who turns 45 on Dec. 28, is in the final season of a two-year deal that he signed with the Colts before the 2016 season.