Kyle Rudolph appears to be on borrowed time with the Minnesota Vikings after they drafted former Alabama star tight end Irv Smith Jr in the second round, but he is not willing to take less money to make the team’s decision regarding his future easier.
Rudolph said this week that he is “really excited” about the direction of Minnesota’s offense under offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and assistant coach Gary Kubiak. However, as speculation increases that the Vikings don’t want to pay Rudolph the $7.6 million he is owed in 2019, the veteran insists there is “no way” he would take a pay cut.
“No I won’t, I am too young for that,” Rudolph said, per Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
While he is not interested in giving the Vikings a discount, Rudolph did reiterate that he wants to remain in Minnesota. All indications have been that that is not going to happen at his current salary.
Rudolph has spent his entire eight-year career with the Vikings and appeared in all 16 games in each of the past four seasons. He caught 64 passes on 82 targets for 634 yards and four touchdowns, so the production was decent in his first season playing with Kirk Cousins. The Vikings reportedly had discussions about trading him before and during the draft.
