With Rob Gronkowski officially retired, the Buccaneers were in serious need of some help at tight end, and they added that help Wednesday night with the signing of Kyle Rudolph.
According to ESPN, the two-time Pro Bowler has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Tampa Bay, meaning Tom Brady now has another offensive weapon. Rudolph will add big NFL experience to a tight end that has been sorely lacking. Prior to his signing, the Buccaneers had only ONE tight end on the roster (Cameron Brate) who had more than one catch in his career. Besides Brate, the Buccaneers’ tight end group consists of two rookies (Cade Otton and Ko Kieft) and Codey McElroy, who has one career catch coming back in 2019.
Tampa Bay’s tight end suffered a major blow in June when Gronk decided to retire. However, the Buccaneers didn’t go out and sign anyone to replace him right away, and that could be because they weren’t sure if he would actually stay retired. Over the past five weeks, both his agent (Drew Rosenhaus) and his girlfriend (Camille Kostek) have said they could see Gronk returning to football this year.
As for Gronk, he has insisted for the past month that he will remain retired, and he doubled down on those statements during an appearance on “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
“I’m not going back to football,” Gronk said. – I’m ready.
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With Gronk sounding like he was definitely done, the Buccaneers started showing some interest in Rudolph as early as last week. Tampa Bay ended up signing Rudolph to a deal.
Rudolph is a longtime veteran who has been in the league for 11 years. His first 10 seasons came with the Vikings, and during that time he was voted to two Pro Bowls. In 2016, he led the team in touchdown catches (seven) and finished second in receptions (83).
After a decade in Minnesota, he moved to New York in 2021, where he played one season with the Giants. While Rudolph wasn’t great in his one year with the Giants last season, it’s hard to blame him for that since no one in this offense was able to really thrive last year.
The 32-year-old has finished with at least 330 receiving yards in six of his last seven seasons, and if he can reach that number in Tampa, the Buccaneers will likely be happy. Rudolph, who has caught at least four touchdowns in five of his last seven seasons, could also become a weapon in the red zone for Brady.
Tampa Bay’s veteran players will report to training camp on July 26, meaning Rudolph signed just in time to join them.
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