The Vikings released Kyle Rudolph this offseason, but the tight end unit still looked to be in good shape.
Irv Smith Jr. was arguably good enough to be a No. 1 tight end in 2020. Fellow tight end Tyler Conklin was also serviceable in a bigger role.
With Rudolph gone, it seemed possible for Hale Hentges to be the third tight end on Minnesota. However, Hentges opted to retire this offseason, citing family reasons to the Pioneer Press and to start a career with Zebra Technologies.
“My wife and I were very lucky to find out that we are expecting a son in July, so that was a very big factor for me, stopping to kind of get a little more stability in my life and to be there for my son,” Hentges told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “Also, I’m really just excited to enter the business world. Zebra’s a great company.”
Hentges retired after two seasons in the NFL. He played 11 games with Washington in 2019 and one with Minnesota in 2020.
