Kyle Rudolph, the veteran tight end acquired by the Giants during their active and expensive free-agency spending spree, requires foot surgery but is expected to be ready to play at the start of the 2021 season.
While playing for the Vikings last season, Rudolph, 31, hurt his foot in a Dec. 6 game game against the Jaguars. He missed the final four games, hit the open market and, after 10 years with the Vikings, agreed to terms with the Giants on a two-year deal worth $12 million. Four months after initially injuring the foot, it has not yet healed fully, which caused a brief snag in the contract signing, according to NFL Network. The issue has been resolved, The Post confirmed, and Rudolph signed the deal, with no financial adjustments by the team.
“This is 100 percent what happened during the season that caused me to miss the last four games of the season,” Rudolph said Wednesday after signing his contract. “Everyone expected it to heal on its own and it didn’t. It needs to be fixed. I’m extremely grateful for the Giants’ medical staff … and I’m excited to get it fixed and move past it.
“I’m not expecting to miss any football. I’m extremely excited, when we do start playing football to be out there with my teammates.”
Rudolph will count $4.75 million on this year’s salary cap. He receives a signing bonus of $4.5 million.
In 140 games (132 starts) for the Vikings, Rudolph had 453 receptions for 4,488 yards and 48 touchdowns. His 28 receptions in 12 games last season was his lowest production since 2014, when he played in only nine games. Rudolph is a strong in-line blocker and the Giants expect him to be a red-zone threat, allowing Evan Engram to reduce some of his in-line blocking responsibilities to allow him to use his speed on the outside to create mismatch situations.
