Jump-kick: Colts sign clutch kicker Vinatieri

The NFL's most accurate kicker failed the Colts in the clutch. By signing Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis not only addressed that problem, it also took a key piece away from nemesis New England.

Indianapolis has agreed in principle to a deal with Vinatieri, the team announced Tuesday night on its website. The Colts make the switch from Mike Vanderjagt -- who misses less than anyone -- to the kicker who never misses when it matters most.

Vinatieri has hit two winning kicks in the Super Bowl for the Patriots. Vanderjagt's career accuracy rate is the best in the NFL, but twice he has missed critical field goals in the playoffs.

One of those also happened to be his last kick for Indianapolis: In January, Vanderjagt badly missed a 46-yarder in the closing seconds that would have forced overtime with eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

Terms of Vinatieri's deal were not immediately available. Messages left with the Patriots and agents for Vinatieri by the Associated Press were not immediately returned.

The Patriots allowed Vinatieri to test free agency rather than putting a franchise designation on him, which would have cost the team $3 million next season.

Adam Vinatieri hit 20 of 25 field goals last season and missed just one extra point. (Getty Images)

"It just didn't feel like the right thing to do," coach Bill Belichick said last month at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. "We considered all our options and decided not to tag anybody."

Vinatieri, 33, had been named the team's franchise player twice, including last year, when he was paid $2.5 million.

Vanderjagt joined the Colts in 1998 and spent all eight of his NFL seasons with Indianapolis after playing the previous two years in the Canadian Football League. With the Colts, he scored a franchise record 995 points and made 217 career field goals in 248 attempts, the highest accuracy rate (87.5) in league history.

In 2003, Vanderjagt made all 37 of his field goal attempts, all 46 of his extra point attempts and set the NFL record by making 42 straight field goals.

His other big miss came in January 2000, when a 49-yarder that would have sent the Colts into the second round of the playoffs went wide right.

Team president Bill Polian acknowledged last month it was unlikely the Colts would re-sign Vanderjagt, an unrestricted free agent.

"He'll probably elect to go somewhere else, so that's probably a position we'll have to fill," Polian said at the NFL's annual scouting combine.