The Minnesota Vikings and their veteran tight end are reportedly still trying to work out an extension to keep him on the roster past the 2019 season.
Over the past few weeks, Kyle Rudolph has let it be known that he wants to remain with the Minnesota Vikings for the remainder of his NFL career. The Vikings are the only team Rudolph has played for since he was drafted in 2011 and he has no desire to really play for any other organization.
Well according to a report from ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio on Thursday, Minnesota is still trying to do what they can to keep the tight end around past the 2019 season.
In the report, it is revealed that the Vikings and Rudolph have not ended their attempts to agree to a new deal and that the team has actually already offered him a five-year extension that would make him one of the highest paid tight ends in the NFL.
According to his source, Florio also mentioned that Minnesota has also not asked Rudolph to take a pay cut for the upcoming season.
This is quite the news if it is actually true. Not only are the Vikings trying to keep the veteran tight end around past 2019. But this reported extension would keep him under contract through the 2024 season.
If Minnesota was able to get this deal done, it would most likely reduce Rudolph’s 2019 cap hit, which is currently sitting at $7.625 million. This would give the Vikings some more cap space to have for injuries as they head into the upcoming season.
At first glance, the length of the reported deal may be a bit too long for some. But judging by how smart Minnesota has been with the contract extensions they have recently given out, the team would likely find a way to make it easy for them to get out of the deal after a year or two if they feel Rudolph is no longer worth keeping on the roster.
For those who were hoping to see the veteran tight end remain with the Vikings past 2019, this report appears to make this scenario a bit more than just a possibility.