There once was a time when the Minnesota Vikings were notorious for off-the-field behavior. A time when Fred Smoot captained a love boat, Onterrio Smith introduced us to the Whizzinator, and Mike Tice was busy trying to sell you his Super Bowl tickets. As the Red McCombs era came to an end, the purple seemed to be spinning out of control off the field.
With the Wilfs came stability. With that stability came Brad Childress, a man who took discipline literally the complete opposite direction. He was the sort of sheriff who showed no remorse, even cutting Marcus Robinson on Christmas Eve. Although not a fan-favorite, Childress really helped clean up the Vikings’ image.
So when the Wilfs decided to hire Mike Zimmer, many fans wondered if the Vikings would take a step backward. Would they resemble Zimmer’s former team, the Cincinnati Bengals, an organization with many colorful characters like Vontaze Burfict and Adam “Pacman” Jones, who always seemed to be finding trouble off the field? Instead, Zimmer and his staff emphasized their desire for players who were willing to set an example both on and off the field.
Enter Kyle Rudolph. Although Leslie Frazier drafted him, he most of his prime under Zimmer and seemed to be the exact person the Zimmer regime wanted. And while it is hard to find players who live up to those expectations, Rudolph seemed to go above and beyond. He actively participated in the community through all of his charitable causes, like Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone in the University of Minnesota Masonic children’s hospital, which allows younger patients just to be kids and not worry about their diagnosis.
In 2018, after Rudolph was nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, the Vikings put out a tear-jerking “Dear Kyle” video, and the world got to see just what Rudolph meant to everyone. Gratitude flowed from the families of the children going through treatment to doctors and nurses working in the hospital and even his own family. Though Rudolph may not have won the award, he won over football fans across the league with his philanthropy.
When he was used less as a pass-catcher in the last few years, Rudolph never complained and dutifully took on his role, whether as a receiver or a blocker. In recent years where we have seen players demand trades due to the team not utilizing them in the way they wanted, Rudolph never expressed any discontent he had with the team. It wasn’t until he appeared on former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber‘s “Unrestricted” podcast where he let it be known that he wasn’t happy with his role and that he wouldn’t take a pay cut.
After witnessing former teammate Stefon Diggs force his way out of town, Rudolph never took the same route Diggs did in creating a midseason spectacle that created a locker room and front office issue.
He was professional after the Vikings drafted Irv Smith Jr. in the second round two seasons ago. Instead of giving his eventual successor the cold shoulder as many other athletes would do, he took the young tight end under his wing, teaching him the nuances of the position and how to win against different coverages.
“Kyle has been a leader and mentor for us on and off the field from the first day I arrived in Minnesota,” Zimmer said in a news release after Rudolph was cut. “He has been such an important part of this team and community throughout his career, and it has been an honor to coach him the last seven seasons.”
It’s hard to sum it up better than that. Rudolph was exactly who the Vikings needed, exactly when they needed him, and his presence will be missed, on and off the field.
