Written by Sam Ekstrom
When he inked his name on the dotted line Sunday evening, Kyle Rudolph became the latest Vikings tight end to sign a long-term contract with the squad.
Visanthe Shiancoe signed a five-year, $18.2 million contract in 2007 that proved to be very productive for both parties, but when Shiancoe departed in free agency, John Carlson agreed to a five-year deal in 2011 that never panned out and resulted in a release from the team earlier this year.
The Vikings have higher expectations for Rudolph, and they proved it by giving him nearly $20 million guaranteed dollars and his own five-year extension.
“It’s an honor to know that they have the faith in me and the trust in me to instill that value in me,” said Rudolph on Monday. “I’m going to do everything I can to go out on the field and perform at that level.”
By all projections, Rudolph has the potential to be a greater tight end than either of these former Vikings, but from a durability standpoint, the team must hope that Rudolph resembles Shiancoe and not the Litchfield, Minn., native Carlson.
In five seasons with the Vikings, Shiancoe scored 24 touchdowns and collected over 500 yards in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, respectively, peaking at 10th in tight end yardage in 2008. Not eye-popping numbers but certainly serviceable. Most importantly, Shiancoe didn’t miss a single one of the Vikings’ 83 regular season and playoff games throughout his tenure.
Carlson’s contract was perplexing because of its length. Five years for a player that would serve as back-up to Rudolph, not to mention a guy who missed all of 2011 with a shoulder injury? As it turned out, Carlson’s deal was packed with unmet incentives, and the Vikings were able to cut ties with him in salary-cap-friendly fashion. Carlson only caught 40 passes in his two years with the Vikings, dealt with an MCL injury and says he suffered three concussions in those two seasons. His body just couldn’t hold up.
Here’s the scary thing: Carlson had a better first three years than Rudolph. With the Seahawks, Carlson averaged 506 yards per season and only missed one game. Rudolph averaged 352 yards in his first three seasons and missed half of last year with a broken foot.
It’s easy to forget that, in his early years, Carlson showed signs of being a star, especially as a rookie when he racked up 627 yards and five touchdowns with the Seahawks. Now, he is battling just to make the roster in Arizona. It goes to show what one major surgery and a year away from the game can do to a fragile player.
The Vikings signed Carlson when he was 27 years old, so he had a bit more mileage on his body than the 24-year-old Rudolph now has, but the two are otherwise very similar. Both were second-round picks, both are 6-foot-5 and hovering around 260 pounds, and both had three complete seasons on their résumé before inking their second contract.
“They felt like it was important to keep me here a long time,” said Rudolph of the Vikings’ decision to extend him. With the new deal, “Rudy” is now under contract through 2019. For anyone who knows the fourth-year player’s character, this is exciting news for a wholesome, down-to-earth guy. Rudolph couldn’t have more gracious or thankful during his Monday press conference.
But let Carlson’s career serve as a reality check. The Seahawks were probably just as excited five years ago about their incumbent tight end as the Vikings are now about Rudolph.
Rudolph has shown his skill-set during games, and it’s no secret that the guy is good. Really good. That’s why he’s getting the money. Rudolph has huge hands, a massive catch radius and the ability to gain yards after the catch. But his injury history shows already that he is not invincible. The Vikings even drafted Rudolph in 2011 while he recovered from a hamstring injury.
If Rudolph can stay on the field like Shiancoe, he may be the best Vikings tight end since Steve Jordan.
Let John Carlson be a cautionary tale, however. The Vikings just committed top-five tight end money to a young man who has yet to post the requisite numbers, and NFL careers can be derailed quickly.
Fortunately, Rudolph is aware of the possible stigma surrounding his new deal, and he expects to prove the doubters wrong.
“No one is going to motivate me more than I motivate myself,” said Rudolph. “No one is going to have higher expectations that I have of myself.”
| Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights |