INDIANAPOLIS -- There was little doubt in Adam Vinatieri’s voice about returning for a 21st season when he stood inside in the Colts’ locker room after their season ended on Jan. 3.

“For me I’ve always said I want to do it as long as I’m an asset, not a liability,” the 43-year-old kicker said then. “I feel like I can still do it at a high level and I still love it.”

The Colts signed Vinatieri to a two-year, $6 million contract extension Tuesday, and he could end up being the NFL's all-time points leader by the time he's 45 years old and his contract is up. The deal can't be made official until 4 p.m. ET Wednesday when the new league year begins.

Vinatieri, who has 2,251 points, will head into next season third in points scored behind Morten Andersen (2,544) and Gary Anderson (2,434). It’s a long shot that Vinatieri passes Gary Anderson next season, because he’s never had more than 141 points in a season. He’ll need to average 147 points over the next two seasons if he plans to pass Morten Andersen to become the NFL’s all-time leader in points scored.

Last season, Vinatieri was one of the few bright spots on an 8-8 team that missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011. He missed his first two field goal attempts before making his final 25 attempts of the season. He finished fourth in the NFL in field goal percentage at 92.6 percent. He was 12-of-13 on field goals from at least 40 yards out.

Vinatieri gets a major assist from punter Pat McAfee during the season. McAfee also handles kickoff duties so Vinatieri can strictly worry about kicking extra points and field goals.