There’s plenty of speculation that the Vikings could trade tight end Kyle Rudolph. This comes after the team drafted Irv Smith Jr. in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and extension talks broke down late last week.
Despite all of that, Rudolph said at coach Mike Zimmer’s charity golf tournament on Monday that he wants to finish his career in Minnesota, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
The problem isn’t Rudolph’s productivity. It’s his contract. Rudolph, 29, is due $7.6 million next season. The Vikings have just more than $1 million in cap space and have yet to sign their first-round pick, Garrett Bradbury.
And while Rudolph has been solid over the years, he’s not in the upper echelon group of tight ends like the Travis Kelces of the world.
Rudolph is coming off a season in which he caught 64 passes for 634 yards and four touchdowns.
The Vikings would be better with Rudolph than without, but the only way it feels like that happens would be if Rudolph restructured his contract.
One team that certainly makes sense for Rudolph is the New England Patriots.
