He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996, but he was released before the season.
Miami Dolphins
Mare played the first 10 seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins. In 2001, Mare attempted his first, and only rushing attempt on fake field goal against the Carolina Panthers. He was stopped for a 5-yard loss. On October 10, 2004, when Mare was out with a calf injury, wide receiverWes Welker replaced him and became only the second player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt, kick an extra point and a field goal, and make a tackle in a single game. During the 2005 season, he scored 25 of 30 on field goals, averaged 67.0 yards per kickoff, and had 16 touchbacks in 73 kicks. Mare also recorded his first career fumble recovery during the season on an onside kick.
New Orleans Saints
On April 3, 2007, the Dolphins traded Mare to the New Orleans Saints for a 2007 sixth-round draft pick. He inherited the position from kicker John Carney, who was released from the team a day after. He missed his first field goal attempt of the against the Indianapolis Colts. At the midway point of the 2007 season, Mare had made exactly half of his field goal attempts. He also missed 3 field goals in the final preseason game. Early in the season, it was revealed that Mare injured his groin muscle, and punter Steven Weatherford took over on kick-offs for a few games. While playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mare missed his second attempt of the game, and ended up being called on again a few minutes later after the Saints intercepted and drove back into field goal range. Fans booed Mare as he walked onto the field to attempt the long shot, which he missed. Despite the reaction of fans, and his extremely poor play, head coach Sean Payton continued to stand by the kicker until he was injured in the second game against the Atlanta Falcons, and replaced with Martín Gramática. On February 27, 2008, he was released from the Saints after only one season.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 27, 2008, Mare signed with the Seattle Seahawks to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million. He won the kicking battle during training camp and pre-season against Brandon Coutu. He had a superb 2008 season as he finished the season kicking 24/27 field goals and making all of his PATs. In 2009, Mare faced significant scrutiny after missing two field goals in a week 3 game against the Chicago Bears. The misses resulted in a 6-point loss for the Seahawks. In a post-game news conference, Head CoachJim Mora Jr. called Mare's playing "not acceptable". Olindo Mare had a fantastic 2009 season as he finished with 24/26 field goals with a franchise record 21 straight. He earned a 2009 Pro Bowl Alternate honor and a franchise tag that will give him a base salary of what the top 5 kickers make in the NFL or a 20% salary increase, whichever is more. Dick Stockton's inability to pronounce Mare's last name correctly has resulted in the nickname Mar-AA. Mar-AA is a reference to a Seattle drinking game.
Carolina Panthers
After the Panthers released popular kicker John Kasay, the Panthers were looking for a proven kicker. On July 27, 2011, the Carolina Panthers signed Olindo Mare to a four-year, $12 million contract. However, a year after signing the deal, and after missing two game-winning field goals, the Panthers cut Mare.
Chicago Bears
On December 11, 2012, the Bears signed Mare to a one-year deal due to an injury to Robbie Gould. Mare beat out Billy Cundiff and Neil Rackers for the job. Mare played his first game as a Bear on December 16, 2012 against the Green Bay Packers. Mare was successful on both of his field goal attempts but the Bears would go on to lose 21-13. On December 2013, he received a workout with the Lions, but did not make the team.
Career regular season statistics
Personal life
Mare is married to his wife Sandy, with three sons, Hayden, Rylan, and Landon, and one daughter, Kayla. Mare is mentioned in Wale's song "TV in the Radio" in the line "I kick it, kick it like Olindo." Mare is a fan of the Italian soccer team Juventus since his father was born in Rota Greca, Calabria.
