By Jordan Long
The NFL season kicks off on Thursday when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions. One player has decided to call it a career, tight end Kyle Rudolph. He leaves the game after 10 years.
Rudolph started his NFL career when he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. This was following a successful 3-year college career at Notre Dame from 2008 to 2010 where he caught 90 passes for 1,032 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Rudolph hauled in 26 passes for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first year with the Vikings, a taste of what was to come. In 2012, Rudolph became a red zone threat with a career-high 9 touchdowns. His most receiving yards was in the 2016 season with 840.
The Vikings made the playoffs three times with him, 2012, 2017, and 2019. In 2017, Minnesota went all the way to the NFC Title game but were beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles 38-7. That was the furthest Rudolph ever made it.
After the 2021 season, Rudolph was a free agent. He took his time and signed with the Giants. It was supposed to be a two-year contract but he only played one year with the Giants before being let go. In his only season with the Giants, Rudolph had 257 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
Last year Rudolph suited up for Tampa Bay. His play declined. Rudolph had a career-low 3 receptions for 28 yards and 1 touchdown. It showed it was time for him to leave the game.
Rudolph leaves the NFL on his terms. He played 10 years in the NFL. Many players don’t get to play that long. Rudolph totaled 482 catches for 4,773 yards and 50 touchdowns. The best part of his game was Rudolph protected the football. He fumbled twice but only lost one. Rudolph will go down as one of the better tight ends to play the game. Who knows if he will ever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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