Adam Vinatieri: 'Who knows how far we can go'

Adam Vinatieri was right where he wanted to be, and now he's staying put.

Despite overtures of more money from potential playoff teams, Vinatieri accepted a two-year, $5 million contract to remain with the Indianapolis Colts.

"I saw what Pat (McAfee) said the other day, that it's not about the money. And it's not,'' Vinatieri told The Star. "If I was looking for that, I definitely could have made more somewhere else.''

A few playoff-caliber teams approached Gary Uberstine, Vinatieri's agent, over the past few days.

"Sure, we talked to some,'' Vinatieri said. "But I wanted to finish my career with a great organization and have an opportunity to win another Super Bowl or two.

"As long as the Colts wanted me, that's all that mattered. Ultimately, they knew I wanted to be here and they wanted to keep me around. It was all about working out the numbers.''

There's no question Vinatieri settled for less than market value. His last contract with the Colts averaged a shade more than $3 million per season. Carolina recently signed Graham Gano to a four-year, $12.4 million contract.

"At the end of the day my goal was to find a way to make it work out here, perhaps finish my career here and not get to free agency, '' Vinatieri said. "This is a team that's sitting pretty good and should make another playoff run.

"Things are clearly headed in the right direction and who knows how far we can go. That's all you can hope for.''

Moreover, Vinatieri has settled his family in Carmel.

"One hundred percent I wanted it to work here,'' he said. "I have my home here, my family here. This is a great place to raise kids.''

If Vinatieri plays out the two-year deal, he'll have the distinction of playing at least 10 years with two different teams – the Colts and New England Patriots.

Vinatieri, 41 and the oldest player in the league, is coming off one of the best seasons of his 18-year career. He converted 35-of-40 field-goal attempts – the made field goals are a career best – and knocked down 4-of-6 from at least 50 yards.

Last season he became the seventh player in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-point plateau and second to post 800 points for two different teams, and tied Jason Elam for the most 100-point seasons (16) in league history.

In NFL history, Vinatieri ranks No. 5 in points (2,006), No. 7 in made field goals (448) and No. 6 in PATS (660). He also holds postseason records with 213 points, 51 field goals and 60 PATs. Vinatieri has appeared in 27 playoff games, tied for second-most in league history.

USA TODAY contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Mike Chappell at (317) 444-6830. You can follow him on Twitter at @mchappell51.