Kyle Rudolph returning to Vikings is reportedly an actual possibility

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed on Thursday that a return to the Minnesota Vikings by tight end Kyle Rudolph this year is not out of the question.

As a member of the New York Giants in 2021, former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph put together one of the worst single-season performances of his entire career. Despite this, and despite Rudolph currently being 32-years-old, he’s not looking to end his time in the NFL anytime soon.

The former Vikings tight end was released by the Giants earlier this offseason and he’s hoping to find a new home for the upcoming 2022 campaign.

Recently, Rudolph expressed a desire to return to Minnesota and suit up again for the team that used a second-round pick on him back in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Return to Minnesota Vikings reportedly “not off the table” for Kyle Rudolph

The former Minnesota tight end has reportedly generated interest from multiple teams this year, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Tuesday. Fowler also added that a return to the Vikings for Rudolph this summer is “not off the table”.

Returning from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for the entire 2021 season, Irv Smith Jr. is expected to be the No. 1 tight end for Minnesota during the 2022 campaign.

Behind Smith on the depth chart, however, things aren’t very encouraging when it comes to the Vikings’ current tight end depth.

Johnny Mundt is currently expected to be Minnesota’s No. 2 tight end for next season with Ben Ellefson, Zach Davidson, and rookie Nick Muse all competing for the other tight end spots on the team’s 2022 roster.

If Smith is forced to miss any games next season due to injury, the tight end position will turn into an extreme weakness for the Vikings. At least by adding someone like Rudolph, Minnesota would be bringing in a player that quarterback Kirk Cousins is already familiar with.

Fowler says that the expectation is that the former Vikings tight end will pick a team before training camps begin around the NFL at the end of the month. So we should know pretty soon if Rudolph will be back in purple and gold for the 2022 season or not.