Getty Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings catches the ball in the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions.
For a glimmer of time back in March it looked as if the marriage between the New York Giants and Kyle Rudolph would never be. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that a “snag” in the signing arose after the team’s medical staff came across a previously undiscovered foot injury following a physical and believed that surgery would be required.
Ultimately, the Giants stuck by Rudolph’s side, inking the two-time Pro Bowler to a two-year, $12 million deal. Shortly after, the tight end went under the knife for offseason surgery. Although, the exact timing of both the surgery and the potential return timeline had been kept under wraps — until now.
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Rudolph Says He ‘Won’t Miss Any Football’
Via the New York Daily News, Rudolph recently revealed that he had surgery back in late March in Minnesota “right after I was here [in East Rutherford] to sign my contract.” After sitting out OTAs, Rudolph doesn’t plan to “miss any football,” vowing to be back on the gridiron come Week 1 — thanks in large part to the Giants and their medical staff.
“As far as football goes, I was extremely fortunate that the Giants organization and everyone involved [caught it], and how they were able to handle my situation, that I won’t miss any football,” Rudolph said. “At this point it’s about taking each day and taking that opportunity to not only get myself healthy but get myself better. It’s one thing to get and be healthy, it’s another to be ready to go and play in an NFL game. So I’m taking that day by day.”
Rudolph Praises Jones
Dating back to a pre-draft press conference, general manager Dave Gettleman shed light on why the organization opted to fulfill their handshake agreement with Rudolph.
“We are the Giants, we’re going to do everything with class,” Gettleman said, via USA Today. “We had an agreement, Ronnie [Barnes] signed off on it, Doc [Scott] Rodeo signed off on it, so we were fine.”
“Kyle Rudolph is a professional tight end, he’s been in the league 10 years, he knows all the ins and outs, he’s still a good player, of course that helps Daniel [Jones], but it also helps our running game too and it helps Saquon [Barkley],” Gettleman added.
Speaking of helping Daniel, Rudolph is expected to pose as a security blanket and red zone target for the young quarterback this coming season — both of which the Giants have lacked over Jones’ tenure with Big Blue. Since 2016, Rudolph has recorded at least six touchdowns in three separate seasons. Over that same time span, no Giants pass catcher not named Odell Beckham Jr. has multiple such campaigns to their name.
While Rudolph’s injury has halted the tight end from taking the field with his new signal-caller thus far, he sounds fairly eager to get to work.
“Unfortunately, I have not been able to be out on the practice field with him yet but I have spent a lot of time with him around the facility and quite honestly, away from the facility. In my opinion, he’s as good as they come. He’s a phenomenal young man, super respectful. Obviously, I’ve seen his talent on the field.”
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2x Pro Bowler, Key Giants Signee Shares Crucial Injury Update