First look at Kyle Rudolph in Giants uniform is incredibly strange

After a decade with the Minnesota Vikings, Kyle Rudolph will take the field next season in a New York Giants uniform.

Former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph probably thought he would never play for another team during his entire NFL career. But those dreams were crushed in March when the Vikings released Rudolph and he wound up signing with the New York Giants.

Instead of trying to help Minnesota reach the playoffs for the fourth time under head coach Mike Zimmer, the veteran tight end will now be tasked with trying to get the Giants a spot in the postseason for just the second time since 2011.

Will a change of scenery reignite Rudolph, or will the former Vikings tight end continue to see his numbers fall below expectation?

Former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph in a New York Giants uniform looks odd

Several notable players depart from Minnesota each offseason. But during the past two years, the Vikings have said goodbye to some longtime contributors.

Minnesota has seen guys walk out the door like Rudolph, Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, Anthony Harris, Linval Joseph, and Riley Reiff. Like the veteran tight end, these are players who some thought would spend the rest of their careers in purple and gold.

Rudolph hasn’t participated in any of New York’s OTA practices or their minicamp this offseason since he’s still recovering from surgery on his foot. But he still found time to take a few photos in his new uniform and the Giants recently shared what that looks like.

Not seeing Rudolph in a Vikings uniform just looks weird and unnatural. But this was also the case when we first saw Griffen in a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Rhodes in an Indianapolis Colts uniform, or Joseph in Los Angeles Chargers colors.

It’s rare for players in the current version of the NFL to remain with only one team for as long as Rudolph was able to. However, the tight end obviously wasn’t ready to hang up his cleats for good yet, so he’s going to see how much juice he’s still got in the tank with New York next season.

The former Minnesota tight end signed a two-year deal with the Giants back in March. But if he fails to meet New York’s expectations next season, his contract is set up for them to easily release him in 2022.