Beating the deadline with only a few minutes to spare, the New England Patriots on Friday signed "franchise" free agent place kicker and Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri to a long-term deal, two league sources told ESPN.com.

	Vinatieri

Details of the contract were not immediately available.

The paperwork on the contract was completed shortly before 4 p.m. The timing is significant, because that was the deadline for a "franchise" free agent to sign a long-term contract. If the deadline passed without a long-term accord, the Patriots would have been precluded from negotiating such a deal until July 15.

The Pats kicker became the second "franchise" free agent to reach a long-term agreement, joining Indianapolis Colts offensive left tackle Tarik Glenn. The Indianapolis star signed a six-year deal worth $30 million which included a $10 million signing bonus.

Vinatieri, 29, is a six-year veteran who has connected on 160 of 199 field goal attempts and also on 208 of 209 extra points. In 2001, he converted 24 of 30 field goal tries and all but one of his 42 extra points.

The former South Dakota State star is regarded as one of the best clutch kickers in the NFL and he certainly demonstrated that in the playoffs. His overtime field goal carried the Patriots over the Oakland Raiders in a division-round game and his 48-yarder provided the winning points in New England's victory over St. Louis in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.