Kyle Rudolph might have played his last game for the Vikings already

With the recent news of Kyle Rudolph, he could be done for the Minnesota Vikings

A player always wants to go out on their own terms with the franchise that gave them a chance. That might not be the case for Kyle Rudolph and the Minnesota Vikings.

The team announced Tuesday that they had signed practice squad offensive linemen Kyle Hinton to the active roster and placed Rudolph on the injured reserve, ending his 2020 season.

Rudolph has been inactive for the last three games with a foot injury. Following a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints that saw Alvin Kamara score six touchdowns, the team was officially eliminated from the NFC playoff picture.

For the season, Rudolph will finish with 28 catches for 334 yards and a touchdown. For his career with the team, he could finish with 453 receptions for 4,485 and 48 touchdowns.

Kyle Rudolph could be a cap casualty this offseason

The Vikings are way over budget heading into the 2021 offseason. The team will need to trim roughly $20 million before the NFL Draft, thus making free agency nearly impossible to be active in.

Rudolph and the Vikings agreed to a four-year, $36 million extension before the start of the 2019 season, with $9.25 million of it guaranteed. Should Minnesota release him, it would save $5.1 million for 2021.

The only way fans should expect him to return is if they can agree to a lesser deal. That might not suit Rudolph, who (when healthy) is still a viable backend No. 1 option or a high-end No. 2. Meanwhile, the emergence of Irv Smith Jr. does make the 31-year-old expendable this offseason.

The second-year tight end out of Alabama built off his rookie campaign with 28 catches for 335 yards and career-best five touchdowns.

Rudolph has been loved by the fans of the franchise for a decade. He’ll go down in history as one of the best players to wear a Vikings jersey in the last 25 years.

However, all good things must come to an end.