Vinatieri 'not done' playing, Reich says

The Indianapolis Colts placed kicker Adam Vinatieri on injured reserve with the 46-year-old scheduled to undergo knee surgery, the team announced Monday.

The injury ends Vinatieri's season and raised the question of whether his magnificent 24-year career is nearing an end as well.

"It is my understanding that Adam's mindset is that he's not done," Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters Monday afternoon, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. Reich added, "It's one of the things that makes him the greatest of all time."

Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer with 2,673 career points.

The three-time All-Pro and four-time Super Bowl champion was in the midst of his worst season. Vinatieri missed 8 of 25 field-goal attempts this year and six extra points. He also had a critical field-goal try blocked and returned for a touchdown in last week's divisional battle with the Tennessee Titans.

The Colts considered bringing in a new kicker on multiple occasions this year but ultimately turned back to their kicker of 14 seasons. Finally, after last week's loss, Vinatieri was sidelined with a left knee injury, forcing Indianapolis to bring in free-agent kicker Chase McLaughlin for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McLaughlin hit his first two field-goal attempts in the game, but his 47-yard try with eight minutes to go hit the right upright. It proved costly as the Colts lost 38-35 to the Buccaneers.