It sounds like Kyle Rudolph‘s market is starting to heat up. The veteran tight end has drawn interest from “multiple teams,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. His known suitors include the Buccaneers and the Vikings. Fowler expects Rudolph to land somewhere before the start of training camp.
The Giants inked Rudolph to a two-year, $12MM deal in March of 2021, but following a season where the tight end finished with only 26 catches for 357 yards and one touchdown, the earned his walking papers. Since becoming a free agent, Rudolph received some interest from George Paton and the Broncos, but a deal never materialized.
Minnesota would obviously be a homecoming for Rudolph. The 2011 second-round pick spent the first 10 seasons of his career in Minnesota, where he hauled in 48 touchdowns in 140 games. Rudolph earned Pro Bowl nods in both 2012 and 2017, although his best offensive season came in 2016 when he finished with 83 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. Irv Smith Jr. sits atop the depth chart in Minnesota, but Rudolph could provide some veteran experience over the likes of Ben Ellefson, Johnny Mundt, Zach Davidson, and rookie Nick Muse.
Rob Gronkowski doesn’t sound like he’ll be returning to Tampa Bay, and you can bet Tom Brady and the Buccaneers would appreciate another veteran to pair with Cameron Brate at tight end. Otherwise, the Buccaneers are currently hoping rookies Cade Otton and/or Ko Kieft will provide depth at the position.
I’m surprised the Bengals didn’t go after him. They have (had) a need and he’s a Cincinnati guy
I think they’re set. Hurst is a well-rounder starter and Sample a decent complement as a block-first tight end. Maybe if one of the 2 were to get hurt…
Sample is terrible. Hurst is average. Maybe Rudolph is average now in his career too.
Neither are whirl-beaters, but Rudolph isn’t an upgrade over either at this point in his career.
I understand Sample isn’t a pass-catcher and got overdrafted, but his blocking ability shouldn’t be discounted
Rudolph could be a factor near the goal line. He always caught TD’s. Bengals don’t use their TE much anyway so I guess it makes no difference who is out there
It would be a replacement for departed red zone target C.J. Uzomah, who had a breakout year with Burrow, but I think the Hurst acquisition settled the book for now with Cincy. Hurst is a better blocker than Rudolph, and probably doesn’t offer much less overall as a receiver at this point.
Hence, my wording of had. Rudolph was free before they signed Hurst. I honestly think the Bengals will draft a TE high next year, along with a back to replace Mixon. The Bengals are gonna have to start freeing up money for Burrow, Chase, Higgins and I assume Jonah Williams. Even average LT cost 10-12 million per.
I can agree with that.
Much as I’d like to see Rudy back in Minnesota, I’d rather see him go to Tampa. I think he’ll get more targets there.
Kevin O’Connell has talked about using more two-RB sets than two-TE sets this year because teams tend to leave an extra LB on the field against the former, and he’s hoping to get receiving mismatches on the LB’s. With Irv Smith as the clear TE1, Rudy could just be a largely forgotten man riding the bench until they get close to the goal line, and even in 2020, his role as a red zone target had passed to Adam Thielen.
Better to go to Tampa where you can pretty much count on them, especially Brady, wanting to run a fair number of two-TE sets. Rudolph looked healthy the few times I saw him playing for the Giants, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up getting more snaps and targets than Brate.
Healthy, isn’t going to get it done for “Rudy” any longer…even though it was the Giants, he was a non-factor inside the 20 yard line (slow and not nearly physical enough to get open) and it wasn’t all either competency at QB, or game plan….he’s left his best years back up in Minny the first time……
I think Tampa is more in line with what Rudolph wants at this point in his career, which would likely be for a contender. Minnesota is reshaping its defense and its offensive scheme. Unless Rudolph simply wants to return closer to family (I am unsure if he still has property there or if the family relocated) or local ties and plans to retire there, I think Tampa will ultimately be his choice between the two.
Rudolph and his family still call Minnesota home, and he’s made it pretty clear that they are there to stay, no matter where he may play for a year or two. I’m not from the area, but as I understand it, he has been a very active presence in the local community doing charity stuff, especially as it relates to children’s health care. I believe he is also a two-time nominee for the Walter Payton Award.
By family, I guess you just mean wife and kids? His whole family is in Cincinnati
Yeah, I’m just talking about the wife and kids. I know he’s an Ohio boy, and figured the rest of his family was back there.
Last year, in an article about their Lake Minnetonka home, his wife Jordan was quoted as saying ‘”We’ve been in Minnesota for 10 years,” she emphasizes. “After being here for so long, there’s no other place we could consider home. This is where our kids were born, we’re ingrained in the community, and our friends are here. This is home for us.”‘
link to artfulliving.com
Thanks for the info, cka2nd. That makes Minnesota a stronger contender than it otherwise would be I think, when compared to the much further trip down to Tampa. If Rudolph decides that he wants to contend before retirement, however, Tampa still seems like the choice. The question I suppose will be how much time Rudolph wants to spend with his family versus work at this point.
The sense I get is that he doesn’t think he’s done, and that he can still physically get the job done. I’m not so concerned by his lack of speed, as he’s been slow for years, and he ran cleanly whenever I saw him hast year, without any hitches in his step. But if rocky7 is right that Rudolph is no longer “nearly physical enough to get open” in the red zone, that’s probably what will end his career.