Kyle Rudolph officially signs four-year extension with Vikings

It was a long offseason of uncertainty, but tight end Kyle Rudolph will be sticking around in Minnesota after all.

Rudolph signed a four-year deal worth $36 million with the Vikings, which has him under contract through the 2023 season, according to multiple media reports.

Rudolph hinted at the extension via Twitter on Monday night, and the deal was made official by the Vikings on Tuesday morning.

Despite his status as team captain, Rudolph was a leading candidate to be traded or cut to aid the cap-strapped Vikings. Those odds increased after Minnesota drafted former Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round (No. 50 overall) of this year’s draft, adding another pass-catching tight end to the roster.

But it appears new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski’s scheme has room for both.



Selected in the second round (43rd overall) by Minnesota in 2011, Rudolph has spent all eight years of his NFL career with the Vikings. He’s caught 386 passes for 3,787 yards and 41 touchdowns over his career and has been named to the Pro Bowl twice (2012, 2017).

The only tight ends to catch more touchdowns than Rudolph since he came into the league in 2011 are Rob Gronkowski (69), Jimmy Graham (66) and Antonio Gates (47).

Rudolph is coming off a 2018 campaign that saw him haul in 64 receptions for 634yards and four touchdowns. He’s played in all 16 games for the past four seasons.

Minnesota begins mandatory minicamp Tuesday afternoon at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minn.