Before signing with the Buccaneers, Kyle Rudolph was linked to the Minnesota Vikings. That hypothetical second stint isn’t something unheard of.
With tight end Kyle Rudolph set to replace Rob Gronkowski in Tampa Bay, his reunion with the Minnesota Vikings is now off the table. Rudolph spent 10 years with Minnesota before landing with the New York Giants. He was released by the Giants last March, leaving him to find a new home for the 2022 campaign.
Rudolph, a second-round pick for the Vikings in 2011, was vocal about his desire to return to the Twin Cities. If he had returned to Minnesota, he wouldn’t be the first player to leave the organization, only to find themselves donning the purple and gold later in their careers.
Plenty of players will spend the majority of their career with a team, only to spend their twilight years at another organization. Those situations tend to lead to players signing a one-day contract with the team fans and staff associated them with throughout their career, allowing said player to go out a member of the team they want to be known by post-football.
Jared Allen and Kevin Williams did just that after leaving Minnesota. Allen had left the Vikings for the Chicago Bears, and later the Carolina Panthers. Williams went on to the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints.
But for players like Allen and Williams, there are others that fit the scenario Rudolph seemingly had hoped to find himself in before joining Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Here are four players that have had multiple stints with the Vikings.