Kyle

Rudolph

Per Jordan Schultz, Rudolph will retire as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him with the No. 43 overall pick back in 2011. Rudolph spent the first 10 years of his career with the Vikings, racking up 453 receptions for 4,488 yards and 48 touchdowns while earning two Pro Bowl nods. He would spend his final two season with the Giants (2021) and the Buccaneers (2022), playing in limited roles across 25 games. The Vikings reportedly plan to honor Rudolph during their Week 3 matchup against the Chargers.

Rudolph is out of the picture with Cade Otton emerging as a legitimate rookie contributor. The Buccaneers will also be without Leonard Fournette and Russell Gage, who were ruled out earlier in the week. Rachaad White will start at running back, potentially seeing workhorse usage.

As the incumbent, Cameron Brate should be in line to start at tight end, but free agent signing Kyle Rudolph will be in the mix for reps. Rob Gronkowski missed five games last year and still posted more yards than Brate or Rudolph has in a single season since 2016. You can see why Bowles is looking for production elsewhere on the roster. Julio Jones should be a major beneficiary of the team’s focus on its receivers. Jones struggled through injuries in 2021 but finished seventh in yards per game in 2020. If he still has that juice, Jones could thrive with Tom Brady.

Gronk is retired for now, with some in the Bucs organization believing he’s not done with football. The team last week signed Rudolph, 32, coming off an uninspiring season with the Giants in which he caught 26 of his 39 targets for 257 yards and a touchdown. Gronkowski’s retirement vacated 90 targets in the Tampa offense, and while Rudolph seeing all those looks is highly unlikely, he could be a passable streaming option in favorable matchups this season. Stroud said Cameron Brate’s targets would “greatly increase” in Gronk’s absence. Brate was second on the team in targets inside the ten yard line in 2021.

Headed into his age-33 season, Rudolph now joins a championship-caliber Bucs squad that lost O.J. Howard in free agency before Rob Gronkowski then decided to call it a career this summer. Rudolph doesn’t have a whole lot left in the tank, but the longtime Vikings former second-rounder is still a capable red-zone target and should help fill that role vacated by Gronkowski. We shouldn’t expect big fantasy numbers from Rudolph in a timeshare with Cameron Brate and rookies Cade Otton and Ko Kieft.

“The Bucs have been involved, I’m told, and a reunion with the Vikings is not off the table,” were Fowler’s exact words. “This situation should crystallize some time before camps open.” Cut on the eve of free agency, 32-year-old Rudolph was greeted by an ice cold market before visiting the Broncos in April. He would represent a huge catch radius in the red zone for the Rob Gronkowski-less Bucs. In theory, a Vikings reunion would make sense, though the front office that drafted him and coaching staff who coached him from 2014-20 is gone. He would be insurance on Irv Smith as he returns from a torn meniscus. Rudolph seems likely to find a new home either before camp or just after it begins.

Rudolph spent 2021 with the Giants and turned in a paltry 26-257-1 season in his lone season in the Big Apple. Set to turn 33 later in the year, the former two-time Pro Bowler is on the back nine of his career, and hasn’t surpassed 367 receiving yards since 2018. At this point, Rudolph’s remaining years in the league will likely be spent as a backup. There aren’t many places he can sign that would offer any kind of fantasy upside.

Rudolph announced the move himself on Twitter. Brought in to play traditional tight end in a Jason Garrett offense, Rudolph’s tenure with the Giants was just as exciting as that sounds. He managed 26 receptions for 257 yards and one TD in his lone season in New York. Rudolph will turn 33 during the 2022 season, but he could provide tight end depth for a contending team. His main path to fantasy “relevance” will be cutting into the snaps of an otherwise startable tight end.

For some year given a two-year deal last spring — even after failing his physical — Rudolph closes the book on his first season in the Big Apple the owner of a 26/257/1 statline. Dead air for a dead offense, especially since 32-year-old Rudolph is no longer an impact blocker. The G-Men can clear $5 million in cap space by releasing Rudolph, but the move would leave behind $2.4 million in dead money. We would bet whoever replaces Dave Gettleman decides to bite that bullet. Rudolph could still be a viable red zone role player in a better offense.

Rudolph’s return wouldn’t have a big impact on the Giants’ offense, except that it would ruin Myarick-szn. With Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney both likely out this week, Evan Engram can be expected to play an every snap role, even with Rudolph in the lineup. Rudolph is off the fantasy radar.