Kyle Rudolph officially retired from the open market on Monday when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rudolph has signed a one-year contract to play quarterback Tom Brady as the former chases his first Super Bowl.
Rudolph himself confirmed that Brady recruited him to Tampa Bay before Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement last month.
“He said: “Look, we don’t know what Rob is going to do at this moment, but nevertheless, we need you here,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph will team up with Cameron Bright to become Tampa Bay’s two best tight ends this season. The former spent the 2021 season with the New York Giants and had 26 receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown.
Prior to that, Rudolph spent 10 seasons for the Minnesota Vikings and was one of their most reliable playmakers. In five of those 10 seasons, Rudolph finished with 500 receiving yards or more.
He will try to do the same with his new team starting on September 11.
