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The New England Patriots have been very busy when it came to squeezing the ends for the off season and it seems that they are not yet finished.
According to Sports Illustrated, the Patriots spoke with the Vikings about a potential trade exchange for Kyle Rudolph. Although the report does not say when the talks took place nor the seriousness of the situation on both sides, it should be noted that an agreement could potentially be beneficial for both sides: the Patriots still have a pressing need and the Vikings could use the salary cap relief that would come with the Rudolph trade.
While Rudolph is expected to count about $ 7.6 million against the salary cap this year, there is much speculation that the Vikings might seek to reduce it or exchange it in order to save money. 39; money. Of these two options, an exchange would obviously be better for the Vikings, as they would get something back for the double Pro Bowler.
For Minnesota, getting rid of Rudolph would solve many financial problems. At present, the Vikings have a salary space below $ 700,000, which is the lowest figure in the NFL. The team's situation is so difficult that the Vikings had to restructure Eric Kendricks' contract in order to have enough room to maneuver to get a rookie contract with first-round pick Garrett Bradbury.
If they end up cutting or trading Rudolph, they will have room to maneuver under the ceiling with more than $ 8 million available.
Rudolph and the Vikings were working on a possible extension that would reduce the number of his caps for the upcoming season, but these discussions failed on May 10. The Vikings hoped that Rudolph would be willing to accept a pay cut, but the veteran immediately ruled that last week.
"No, I will not, I'm too young for that," Rudolph said.
For the Patriots, adding Rudolph to the list would potentially be very useful to replace Rob Gronkowski. Since Gronk's retreat in March, the Patriots have added multiple tight ends in Ben Watson, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Matt LaCosse and unrestricted free agent Andrew Beck, but it's unclear if any of these guys can be a substitute adequate for Gronk.
Although Rudolph does not block as well as Gronk – there are not many great tips that can do it – he has recorded similar numbers in the receiver game. In 2018, Rudolph captured 64 passes for a total of 634 yards and four touchdowns, while Gronk captured 47 for 682 yards and three touchdowns.
If the Vikings end up trading with Rudolph, our Sean Wagner-McGough has compiled a list of the top six potential landing sites for the close-quarters and you can check them by clicking here.
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