Rudolph (knee) announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he has decided to retire from the NFL as a member of the Vikings.
Rudolph, a two-time Pro Bowler, ends his career with the organization that drafted him in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He suited up for nine games last season with the Buccaneers, securing three of five targets for 29 yards and one touchdown. From 2011 to 2020, he was a key member of Minnesota's offense before moving on to the Giants for the 2021 season. Over 12 career NFL campaigns, the 33-year-old tallied 482 receptions for 4,733 yards and 50 touchdowns in 165 regular-season games (145 starts).
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Sitting out Monday
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Rudolph (knee) is listed as inactive Monday against the Cowboys, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
After hauling in an eight-yard touchdown Week 18 in Atlanta, Rudolph was knocked out of that contest with a knee injury that limited him to just one limited practice during prep for the wild-card round. Now that Rudolph's status is confirmed for Monday's game, Cameron Brate and Ko Kieft will be the depth tight ends behind No. 1 option Cade Otton.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Doubtful for Monday
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Rudolph (knee) is listed as doubtful for Monday's contest against the Cowboys, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
The veteran tight end has been used sparingly this season, as he's accumulated just 41 offensive snaps dating back to Week 10. Expect Cade Otton and Cameron Brate to continue taking the majority of the tight end reps.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Returns to practice Friday
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Rudolph (knee) was a limited participant during Friday's practice, Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports reports.
Rudolph was knocked out of the regular-season finale against Carolina with a knee injury and remained sidelined during Thursday's practice. The backup tight end returned as a limited participant Friday, but he'll likely have to log a full session Saturday to avoid an injury designation for Monday's wild-card matchup against Dallas.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Forced out versus Atlanta
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Rudolph has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Falcons with a knee injury.
Rudolph logged his first receiving touchdown of the season with an eight-yard score in the first half. However, his day will come to an early end after he was ruled out midway through the third quarter, leaving Ko Kieft, Cameron Brate and Cade Otton as the Buccaneers' three available tight ends for the remainder of this contest. With Tampa Bay scheduled to play during the first round of the playoffs starting next week, it will be worth monitoring Rudolph's practice activity for more clarity on this knee issue.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: No targets over 10 snaps
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Rudolph didn't log a target over 10 snaps during the Buccaneers' 30-24 win over the Panthers in Week 17.
The veteran tight end garnered active status for the second straight game, but just as during his 11-snap stint against the Cardinals in Week 16, Rudolph went without a target. Rudolph certainly isn't without pass-catching ability, but the fact he didn't see a ball thrown his way Sunday despite Cameron Brate being a healthy scratch underscores that he's viewed exclusively as a blocker in this offense.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Won't play Sunday
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Rudolph (coach's decision) has been ruled inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers.
Rudolph was also ruled a healthy scratch for back-to-back games before suiting up against New Orleans in Monday Night Football last week. However, he ultimately did not record a statistic over his nine offensive snaps. Rudolph now finds himself the odd man out with Cameron Brate back after a one-game absence due to illness.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: No targets on nine snaps
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Rudolph didn't draw a target over nine snaps in the Buccaneers' 17-16 win over the Saints on Monday night.
Rudolph garnered active status for the sixth time this season, but as has been the case on the last three occasions, he failed to draw any targets. If Cameron Brate (illness) is able to return for the Week 14 road clash against the 49ers, Rudolph is likely to revert back to healthy scratch status.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Healthy scratch Sunday
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Rudolph (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Browns.
Rudolph is a healthy scratch once again and has yet to claim a clear role with the Buccaneers. The veteran remains behind Cameron Brate, Cade Otton and Ko Kieft on the team's positional depth chart, and will likely only dress on game day if one of them suffers an injury.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Not playing in Munich
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Rudolph (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Munich, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Rudolph dressed each of the past three games but played fewer than eight snaps each time out and recorded one reception for eight yards during that stretch. With Cameron Brate (neck) returning from a three-game absence Sunday, and Cade Otton and Ko Kieft on hand as depth options, Rudolph wasn't needed as a fourth tight end in Germany.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Rare appearance on stat sheet
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Rudolph brought in his only target for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 21-3 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
With Cameron Brate (neck) out of action, Rudolph garnered active status for the third time this season, and he managed to contribute on the stat sheet with his second reception of the campaign. Cade Otton has quickly developed into a solid pass-catching option at tight end, however, so Rudolph's role should remain minimal even if Brate sits out Thursday's game against the Ravens.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Healthy scratch Sunday
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Rudolph (coach's decision) will not play Sunday against the Steelers.
Rudolph has yet to find a steady role in the Buccaneers' offense, having only been active for two contests this season and seeing limited snaps. He'll continue working to find his niche with the team and earn a chance to suit up next week against the Panthers.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Only nine snaps Sunday
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Rudolph failed to bring in his only target in the Buccaneers' 21-15 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
The veteran tight end garnered active status for only the second time this season and didn't crack the stat sheet during his modest time on the field. Rudolph's opportunity came as a result of Cameron Brate's absence due to a concussion, so if the latter is able to return for a Week 6 road matchup against the Steelers, the former is likely to revert to healthy scratch status.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Healthy scratch Sunday
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Rudolph (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against Kansas City.
Rudolph was active for the first time this year during last week's loss to the Packers, and he secured his lone target for 12 yards. However, he'll be held out in Week 4 since Cade Otton is back in action.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: One catch in season debut
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Rudolph brought in his only target for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 14-12 loss to the Packers on Sunday.
The veteran tight end was active for the first time this season with rookie Cade Otton (personal) out of action, and he was able to make good use of the one pass thrown his way. Rudolph logged only nine snaps overall despite the Buccaneers being short-handed at tight end, and he's likely to revert to inactive status as early as Week 4 if Otton is back with the team for a home showdown against Kansas City.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Inactive for Week 1
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Rudolph is inactive for Sunday night's game against the Cowboys.
With Rudolph not in uniform for the Buccaneers' season opener, Cameron Brate, Cade Otton and Ko Kieft are in line to handle the team's Week 1 tight-end duties.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Makes preseason debut Saturday
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Rudolph brought in one of three targets for three yards in the Buccaneers' 13-3 preseason loss to the Titans on Saturday night.
The veteran tight end got his feet wet in the Buccaneers offense for the first time and logged targets on both the second and fourth drives of the game. Rudolph and Cameron Brate likely will serve as co-No.1 options at tight end to open the season, but rookie Cade Otton potentially could eat into both of their snap counts as the campaign unfolds.
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Buccaneers' Kyle Rudolph: Lands with Bucs
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Rudolph agreed to a one-year deal with Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The Buccaneers lost O.J. Howard and Rob Gronkowski -- at least for the time being -- from their tight end depth chart this offseason. While they added Cade Otton and Ko Kieft in the 2022 NFL Draft, the pickup of Rudolph will give the team another veteran option to pair with Cameron Brate. Even with the benefit of having Tom Brady as his quarterback, Rudolph isn't likely to return to his peak production from his time with the Vikings, though he still proved to be a decent threat near the goal line by accruing nine red-zone targets with the Giants in 2021.
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Kyle Rudolph: Drawing free agent interest
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Rudolph has received interest in free agency from various teams, including Tampa Bay and his former team Minnesota, and a deal could come together sometime before training camp in late July, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Rudolph has been on the free agent market since his release from the Giants in March. The two-time Pro Bowler played just one season in New York, collecting 26 catches on 39 targets for 257 yards and one touchdown over 16 games in 2021. Though Rudolph is beyond his prime production years, he could still serve as a reliable veteran for teams in need of tight end depth.
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Giants' Kyle Rudolph: Bids adieu to New York
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Rudolph posted Wednesday an apparent farewell message to Giants fans on his personal Twitter account, signaling that he's likely been informed of his release.
The Giants will likely make his release official in the days to come. If the veteran tight end has in fact been cut by New York, the transaction would free up roughly $5 million in cap space, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Meanwhile, Evan Engram is set to become a free agent at the start of the new league year March 16, so the Giants could enter 2022 without their top two options on the tight end depth chart from this past season.
