Kyle Rudolph reveals if he wants to play for the Vikings again or not

Former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph recently spoke about the possibility of re-joining his old team for the upcoming 2022 season.

For the first time in his NFL career, Kyle Rudolph took the field last season in a uniform that didn’t belong to the Minnesota Vikings.

After 10 years with the Vikings, Rudolph spent the 2021 season as a member of the New York Giants. Things didn’t exactly go too well for the veteran tight end with his new team and the Giants decided to release him earlier this offseason.

Rudolph is still a free agent and he’s not looking to retire just yet. Some have wondered if a return to Minnesota could be in the future for the two-time Pro Bowler. On Tuesday, Rudolph shared his thoughts on a potential return to the Vikings.

Kyle Rudolph would “absolutely” love to play for the Minnesota Vikings again

During a discussion with KFAN’s Paul Allen on Tuesday, Rudolph was asked if he would like to have a chance to play in Minnesota again. Here’s how the former Vikings tight end responded.

"“Absolutely. I said it when I left here that Minnesota is always home. It’s kind of never been brought to my attention more than when we came back New Jersey after last season. Certainly, for me, there’s still one thing left to do here, and that’s win a championship in Minnesota. So, obviously, I would love another opportunity to have another crack at it.”"

In 16 games with New York last season, Rudolph only caught 26 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown. He also only appeared in 48 percent of the Giants’ offensive snaps in 2021.

Rudolph clearly wasn’t a fit for whatever New York was trying to do last season, but he’s also getting up there in age. He made it pretty clear to Allen on Tuesday that he’s not looking to retire anytime soon, but he’s 32-years-old, and he’s already spent 11 seasons in the NFL, so he’s definitely near the end of his time in the league.

As for the Vikings, Irv Smith Jr. is expected to open the 2022 season as the team’s No. 1 tight end and then the rest of the depth chart is pretty much up in the air. Minnesota did add former Los Angeles Rams tight end Johnny Mundt in free agency this year, but he’s coming off of a torn ACL, so it’s hard to determine how much of an impact he’ll be able to make in 2022.

Rudolph could definitely provide the Vikings with some more depth in their tight end room, and he is someone that Kirk Cousins would feel comfortable throwing to if Smith were miss any time due to injury next season.

If the asking price isn’t too high, giving Rudolph a shot to make the team in training camp this summer wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.