Former Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph finds a new home in the NFC East
By Adam Patrick
Former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph has agreed to a deal with the New York Giants.
After spending the last 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, it’s difficult to envision Kyle Rudolph putting on a different uniform that isn’t purple and gold.
But Rudolph will officially be wearing different threads during the 2021 season as the former Vikings tight end has agreed to a deal to play for the New York Giants.
The Giants are reportedly giving Rudolph a two-year contract worth up to $14 million. He’s getting slightly less than what he was due to make with Minnesota next season, but it’s still a pretty good amount of money for a tight end who only caught one touchdown in 2020.
Will former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph succeed with the New York Giants?
After leaving a team in the Vikings in which a younger tight end (Irv Smith Jr.) was getting more passes thrown his way, Rudolph will now join a New York offense that features a 26-year-old tight end in Evan Engram, who is coming off his first-ever Pro Bowl season.
Throughout his career, the former Vikings tight end has been known as a tremendous weapon in the red zone. In fact, 40 of the 48 touchdowns catches (83.3 percent) he’s made during his time in the league have come in the red zone.
Last season, the Giants had the NFL’s second-worst offense in the red zone in terms of conversion rate. In 2020, only 46.3 percent of their trips to the red zone resulted in a touchdown. This percentage should be much higher for New York next season with Rudolph on the field.
The Giants are not among the teams Minnesota will face on their 2021 schedule. So if the Vikings are going to go up against their former tight end next season, it will have to take place in the playoffs.