Adam Vinatieri's career coming full circle and returning to New England to solve the Patriots' kicking issue... the bread crumbs were all there.
Crumb #1: The Patriots don't have a kicker on the roster after releasing Kai Forbath.
Crumb #2: Vinatieri is in the midst of a disappointing season for the Colts.
Would the Colts turn to McLaughlin and release Vinatieri? And could the Patriots then sign the 46-year-old as their fifth kicker of the 2019?
But the (pipe) dream scenario of the likely future Hall of Famer coming back to where his NFL career started 23 years ago probably is just that: a dream.