EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants have reached a contract agreement with two-time Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph, according to multiple reports. The deal will become official when Rudolph passes a physical.
Rudolph played his first 10 NFL seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, who released him on March 2. He has played in 140 regular-season games with 132 starts and has started all six postseason games in which he played.
One of the NFL's most productive and dependable players at his position, the 31-year old Rudolph has 453 regular-season receptions for 4,488 yards and 48 touchdowns, the latter figure the Vikings' tight ends record. His playoff statistics include 16 catches for 154 yards and two scores. The 6-6, 265-pounder was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2012 (when he was the game's MVP) and 2017.
The Giants have signed two-time Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph to a contract.
In 2020, Rudolph played in the first 12 games before missing the final four contests with a foot injury that resulted in him being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 29. He finished his season with 28 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown. Rudolph had season-high totals of seven receptions for 68 yards vs. Carolina on Nov. 29. He caught four passes for 63 yards in a Monday night game in Chicago on Nov. 16. More noteworthy was the fact that after his first reception on the game's opening series, he fumbled while being tackled by linebacker Danny Trevathan. When safety Tashaun Gipson recovered the ball, Rudolph had the only lost fumble in his 146-game career.
From 2015-19, Rudolph started all 65 of the Vikings' regular-season and postseason games. His best year was 2016, when he finished with a Vikings tight ends record 83 receptions for a career-high 840 yards and seven touchdowns. The following year, he was selected to the Pro Bowl after scoring a career-best eight touchdowns and catching 57 passes for 532 yards.
Off the field, Rudolph was the Vikings' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee every season from 2017-19 and was the team's Community Man of the Year in each of those seasons.
The Vikings selected Rudolph in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, No. 43 overall, from Notre Dame. In three seasons with the Fighting Irish, the Cincinnati native caught 90 passes for 1,032 yards and eight touchdowns, including a 95-yarder vs. Cincinnati in 2010.