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After 10 seasons in Minnesota, tight end Kyle Rudolph may have played his last game with the Vikings.
The Vikings put Rudolph in reserve due to a foot injury that made him miss the last three games. The Vikings end their 2020 season on Sunday against the Lions.
Rudolph, a second round pick in 2011, had 453 career receptions, 4,458 reception yards and 48 touchdowns. He scored the game’s victory touchdown in overtime against the Saints in a 2019 wild-card playoff game.
Signed by 2023, Rudolph has a base salary of $ 7.65 million in 2021. Cutting or negotiating Rudolph would result in $ 4.35 million in full cap charges. Releasing it with a post-June 1 designation would reduce the 2021 ceiling to $ 1.45 million.
The salary cap for 2021 (which could reach $ 175 million) becomes one of the biggest factors in keeping Rudolph, who made it clear that he wants to end his career in Minnesota. He has become a pillar of the community and perhaps he works with the Vikings to create a more palatable maximum number, even if it means taking less.
Vikings may need to find him somewhere in the middle, however, resisting the urge to squeeze him simply because they know he wants to stay. From time to time, teams will make a more difficult bargain over a player who genuinely wishes to stay where he is, using this against him and making him receive less than he is objectively worth (given the presence of Irv Smith Jr.) . However, Vikings evaluate it, it must be based on its current value and not some kind of guessing game / chicken game with the aim of getting it at least as possible.