Could he become a distraction?
To be clear, Rudolph has been the ultimate teammate during his time in a Viking uniform. If he wasn’t, he probably wouldn’t have had the success that he’s had over the past eight seasons. While it is unlikely to devolve into an Antonio Brown situation, the Vikings could be running into a similar scenario that the Vikings had with Anthony Barr last offseason.
In the pursuit of his big deal, Barr missed a day of OTAs and didn’t really look like himself once the season started. As Rudolph has already shown up to voluntary workouts in a sweatshirt that said “Lots of Game Left” and more recently said he’s, “too young for a pay cut.”
Where actions speak louder than words, the Vikings have screamed their concerns about Rudolph this offseason by drafting a tight end in the second round and asking him to take a pay cut.
The Vikings know that they’ll be a better team with both Rudolph and Smith on the field, but with his large salary, Minnesota’s hand might be forced to trade the 30-year-old tight end before it’s too late.