There have been many rumblings by Steeler fans lately about Kyle Rudolph. Seems like some fans want everyone coming to Pittsburgh. It's ok to want to better your football team, but it's also time to temper some of those expectations Yinz have. Rudolph was recently released from the Minnesota Vikings after playing for 10 seasons with the organization. The move saves $5.1 million dollars and makes sense because Rudolph is now 31 years old. Rudolph had 3 years left on his contract, but he was in danger of becoming a cap casualty.
It looks like releasing players will become the trend going forward heading into free agency on March 17th. Many teams do not know what the cap will be, but some are getting the gist of what it looks like. So teams are planning accordingly. Some experts predict it will be a bloodbath in the coming weeks with the number of cuts that will happen around the league.
Rudolph has been pretty decent for the Vikings. From 2017-2020, he has 19 touchdowns, 1,867 receiving yards, and has played in 16 games until 2020. It seems like there was a decline in 2020 for Rudolph. He only had 334 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. Seems like the Vikings saw enough in 2020 to finally say goodbye.
Steelers typically do not go after unrestricted free agents over the age of 30. Kyle Rudolph is set to be 32 years old in November. At this point, I would agree with not going after Rudolph unless it is the veteran minimum. The Steelers need to get younger in many positions. If the Steelers were to add a veteran in the offseason it would make more sense to go after a center. The 2021 NFL draft has a ton of tight-ends who fit well with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Some of those names are Pat Freiermuth, Brevin Jordan, Hunter Long, Tre' McKitty, and of course the coveted Kyle Pitts who won't be there for the Steelers.