Kyle Rudolph left the Minnesota Vikings A few seasons before they went 14-3 in 2022, when they lost in the first round of the play-offs on the New York Giants.
Two seasons later they almost had a copy of that campaign. This year they went 13-4 Had a first round play-off exit.
“You have to make the plays when it matters the most, and they just didn’t do it every of those last play -off games,” said Rudolph Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
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Now the Vikings must decide whether they want to keep Sam Darnold or hand over the keys to the attack to JJ McCarthy.
Minnesota Vikings Tight End Kyle Rudolph (82) catches a pass for the winning touchdown about New Orleans Saints Cornerback PJ Williams (26) during the extension of an NFC Wild-Card Playoff game in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Chuck Cook/USA Today Sports)
Minnesota set up McCarthy with the 10th selection of last year’s NFL design, and he was in the race to start until a knee injury ended his season in the preseason. That gave the nod to Darnold, who used the chance and was by far the best season of his career.
Darnold played himself until his last two games in a lucrative contract. Who now knows what he gets on the open market?
At least he can get a considerable deal like Baker Mayfield. But even that might be a lot for Minnesota, Rudolph said.
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“Well, I think it really comes in so much in football. If you have a salary cap, and you try to build a selection, unfortunately you have to make decisions based exclusively about the consequences of the Salary limit and what that does for your selection, “said Rudolph.
“So, if you look at Sam Darnold and the year he had in Minnesota, there are just so many factors that eventually go for Sam. Does he want to go to the highest bidder? Do I think I can be the highest bidder? Chance.
‘If Sam says:’ I like to play for Kevin O’Connell. This is the best year of my career. He gets the best out of me, I like to be in this team, “I think he should take some kind of a discount.
“So, if they decided to franchise tag Sam, they could keep him for that one-year franchisetag deal. But again, that makes things real, really difficult on the salary cap.
Kyle Rudolph explained why he believes that it is “really difficult” to see Sam Darnold return to the Vikings last season. (Imagn)
“So far, Kevin (O’Connell) has proven that it really doesn’t matter who the Quarterback is. Years Hall, Josh Dobbs, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold – he will get the most out of him, and she will win football matches . “
The Vikings will be at home to see the Philadelphia Eagles try to deduct the Chiefs of Kansas City, who have been in their fifth Super Bowl for the past six years with a chance of three level.
It has been widely argued that Kansas City has The referees by their side. But Rudolph disputed the idea of ​​any conspiracy or favoritism.
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“If you look at the statistics and dive into a kind of where are the leaders compared to any other team in the NFL in terms of calls and calls against, they are a bit in the middle of the peloton,” said Rudolph.
“But something else is the chiefs, they are on national TV almost every week. They play a lot in Primetime. They always make deep play -off runs, five of the six years in the Super Bowl. Of course, you have all off- The-Field publicity with Travis (Kelce) and Taylor (Swift) and Patrick’s Sterrendom.
Referee Carl Cheffers speaks to Patrick Mahomes during a break in the third quarter in HA Field in Arrowhead Stadium December 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty images)
“They look for things that activate:” Oh, that’s a mistake. That’s a penalty. ” It is the least sweater, but that is something that activates their psyche to say, “Oh, I saw that sweater grab, I throw the flag.” It is just an immediate response to them.
Rudolph spoke with FOX News Digital on behalf of his own charity, Alltoo, where fans can donate to the campaign, and in turn those dollars go directly to the charities of players. But Rudolph and his partners have added a few turns.
This year, with only a donation of $ 10 to Alltoo, fans can win both a trip to the Super Bowl with Drew Brees in New Orleans as an opportunity to announce a concept choice in Green Bay later this year if they donate to a Walter Payton -Man of the charity of the year.
Given that 94% of people donating to Alltoo had never donated to a non-profit before, Rudolph says that it is a “win-win” for everyone.
Minnesota Vikings Tight End Kyle Rudolph for a match against the Detroit Lions in US Bank Stadium. (Harrison Barden/USA Today Sports)
“What we wanted to create was an opportunity for Die-Hard Sportfans, not only the high-quality value individuals or the big business brands, to get the chance to support us. And then the downside is that people win once-a lifetime experiences And items that may be out of reach.
“So, try to create Win-Win Scenario where we raise extra money for a good cause that would not be otherwise, and then ultimately offer these unique experiences to fans who would otherwise not be able to afford it,” said Rudolph, It noted that super bowl prices are “insane from the price for many people.”
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“Whatever you are willing to donate to the causes of these players, 100% of the proceeds go directly to these players. A happy fan gets the chance to go there and announce a concept choice for the design and dream of someone otherwise to realize.
“So all in all, super cool for me to get the chance as a former nominee to really lead this initiative on behalf of the competition. For just a donation of $ 10, you have a chance to win.”
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