The New England Patriots were rumored to have an interest in Kyle Rudolph this offseason. And it made sense. Rob Gronkowski had retired, and the team had a gaping hole at the tight end position as a result.

In recent weeks, that hole has only gotten larger. The team found out that Ben Watson was suspended for the first four games of the season and cut Austin Seferian-Jenkins as he deals with personal issues. That's part of the reason that they were tied to Rudolph in trade rumors, but nothing substantial ever came of that.

Late Monday night, a resolution came to the Rudolph rumors. He is preparing to sign an extension with the Minnesota Vikings, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.

Kyle Rudolph has agreed to the terms of a contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings, per a source. He will sign and make it official in the morning. https://t.co/rBhqfdv3Tf

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) June 11, 2019

Given that the Patriots never seemed to show significant interest in Rudolph, this isn't a big deal. But, it does significantly water down the trade market if the team does decide to add somebody to help at the position.

For the time being, the team seems content to stick with what they have at the tight end position. They will likely roll with Matt LaCosse as the starter at least until Watson returns to action.

Patriots' next order of business? Tom Brady's contract>>>

UPDATE (Tuesday, June 11, 8 a.m. ET): Rudolph confirmed news of his pending extension on Twitter, and according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the tight end is getting a four-year deal.

#UnfinishedBusiness #Skol pic.twitter.com/ooOXJruWFF

— Kyle Rudolph (@KyleRudolph82) June 11, 2019

ICYMI: Vikings giving veteran TE Kyle Rudolph a four-year, $36 million extension that keeps him in Minnesota, per source. Rudolph scheduled to sign the deal this morning.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 11, 2019

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The people's court is now in session. The topic of debate: Who made who, Bill Belichick or Tom Brady?

The two New England Patriots greats will always be inextricably linked for the success they've had in creating the Patriots dynasty. Together, the duo has won six Super Bowl titles and has overseen the most dominant two-decade stretch in NFL history.

Still, the question of who is chiefly responsible for the team's success has long been a debate among the New England faithful. And this week, Shanda, Cerrone, and Leroy take a deeper dive into the case for both sides on the latest episode of "That 617 Life Podcast".

Cerrone kicks off the "trial" by defending Brady, arguing that his on-field play and his arrival to the team snapped the Patriots out of the funk that they were in for most of the early part of their franchise's existence.

[The Patriots] were the team that nobody wanted to use in TecmoBowl. Now, for everybody in America, you're cheating if you use Tom Brady in Madden.

Furthermore, from Cerrone:

There's teams in the NFL over the past 20 years that still haven't defeated Tom Brady. Still, over 20 seasons. There are organizations and fan bases that still have not seen a victory in front of Tom Brady.

As for the case for Belichick, Leroy laid out a simple case for Belichick and called him "possibly the greatest coach in sports history."

Hear more of the trial and thoughts on the latest Boston sports stories on the latest episode of the "That 617 Life Podcast", which drops every Friday as part of the NBC Sports Boston podcast network.

CURRAN: Are we watching Brady's final day with the Patriots?>>>

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It's no longer a mystery who will kick for the New England Patriots vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The Patriots are expected to officially re-sign Nick Folk on Saturday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Folk was released by the team and replaced with Kai Forbath prior to last week's game vs. the Houston Texans after undergoing an appendectomy.

• How Madden sees Pats-Chiefs playing out

A conclusion: Free agent K Nick Folk worked out today, was healthy, and is expected to sign back and kick Sunday for the #Patriots, source said. Should be official tomorrow.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 6, 2019

In three games with the Patriots this season, Folk has made seven of nine field goals and all three extra-point attempts. 

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