Adam Vinatieri makes Hall of Fame, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft officially fall short
Legendary New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri will officially be joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Vinatieri was named as a member of the 2026 Hall of Fame class Thursday night during the NFL Honors awards show. The former kicker will be enshrined in Canton this summer along with Drew Brees, Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald and Luke Kuechly.
It also became official Thursday that Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft were left out of the Hall of Fame this year.
Adam Vinatieri reaches Hall of Fame
Widely considered one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, Vinatieri booted the game-winning field goals in New England's first two Super Bowl wins over the St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers.
The Super Bowl win over the Rams wouldn't have been possible without Vinatieri's heroics in the 2001 AFC divisional playoffs in a game that became known as the Snow Bowl.
With 27 seconds left against the Oakland Raiders in snowy Foxboro, Vinatieri drilled a 45-yard field goal to force overtime. In the extra session, Vinatieri won the game with a 23-yard field goal.
The Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the Super Bowl against a powerful Rams team. New England, led by rookie Tom Brady, shocked the world as Vinatieri's 48-yard kick with the clock expiring launched a dynasty.
Vinatieri sealed team's second Super Bowl two years later as his 41-yard kick gave the team a 32-29 lead, and eventual win, with four seconds to play.
Current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was Vinatieri's teammate during the early years of the Patriots dynasty. He was asked about the importance of Vinatieri to that team during his news conference on Thursday.
"You always knew that when he kicked they were going to go in. That was just kind of what we always thought and knew, if we got into those situations," Vrabel said. "The kick in the snow, that's one of the greatest feats I've ever seen on a football field. You could barely run, let alone approach and kick a football that length."
Adam Vinatieri stats
After 10 seasons and three Super Bowl wins with the Patriots, Vinatieri left to join the Indianapolis Colts. He spent 14 years there and added another title with Peyton Manning.
During his 24-year career, Vinatieri played in 365 games and made 599 field goals. He had a career field goal percentage of 83.8%.
Vinatieri was a finalist for the 2025 Hall of Fame class as well, but came up short in the voting. Because he was finalist, Vinatieri automatically made it to the same stage this year.
Vinatieri's 1,158 career points rank second all-time in Patriots franchise history, behind only Stephen Gostkowski and his 1,775 points. He was a finalist for the Patriots Hall of Fame last year, but Julian Edelman was selected instead.
Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft officially left out
Though they already had learned the news, it became official Thursday that two key members of in Patriots history did not make this year's Hall of Fame class.
It was reported originally last week that Belichick was shockingly snubbed during his first year of eligibility.
Then this week, another report revealed that Kraft, the Patriots owner, also fell short in the voting for another year.