Kyle Rudolph On The Trade Block?
6 years agoThe Minnesota Vikings tried to trade tight end Kyle Rudolph before and during the NFL draft and then selected tight end Irv Smith in the second round, according to sources. “We believe Irv is a perfect fit for our new scheme offensively, what they want to do in terms of a mismatch guy,” Minnesota director of college scouting Jamaal Stephenson said. Rudolph has a $7.625 million salary cap hit in 2019 and the Vikes are strapped for cash. It's possible the 29-year-old will have to rework his contract if he remains on the roster. Smith gives the Vikes speed over the middle and versatility, while Rudolph is a dependable threat in the red zone. Minnesota only used two-tight end sets 20 percent of the time last year, but that could increase with both Smith and Rudolph around. Smith's presence is bad news for Rudolph if he stays, though, and he'll be more of a low-end, touchdown-dependent TE1.
Source: ESPN.com - Courtney Cronin
Source: ESPN.com - Courtney Cronin