Longtime placekicker Adam Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer and one of the greatest kickers ever. After 24 seasons, he's calling it a career.

Vinatieri announced he would be retiring Wednesday during a segment on The Pat McAfee Show. He suggested the paperwork has been filed, with things expected to become official later this week.

Vinatieri didn't play in 2020, but he hadn't quite given up hope on making a return to the NFL in 2021. The veteran told NFL Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen earlier this week he hadn't officially retired, though he indicated things were heading in that direction:

“When you get to be our age, and you’ve kicked as many balls as we have, things start to wear out a little bit,” Vinatieri said, via Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star. “Unfortunately, it was a little bit more than we were hoping. We knew we had some stuff in (the knee) that needed to be fixed. But when our surgeon went in there, he said, ‘I’m not giving you the 40,000-mile overhaul; it looked like we gave you the 80,000-mile overhaul.’”

Alas, Vinatieri has seemingly since made the decision to call it quits. The 48-year-old played 24 seasons in the NFL, the first 10 coming with the New England Patriots and the last 14 with the Indianapolis Colts.

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Vinatieri was more than just a kicker. He made for some of the most memorable moments in NFL history, such as his game-winner in the snow during the ‘Tuck Rule” game and a pair of game-winners in New England's first two Super Bowls.

It is all but certain the three-time All-Pro will find himself in Canton at some point.