Pro Bowl TE Kyle Rudolph retires after 12 seasons

Two-time Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph has retired after a 12-year career spent mostly with the Minnesota Vikings.

Rudolph, 33, caught 482 passes for 4,773 yards and 50 touchdowns in 165 career NFL games (145 starts).

Rudolph confirmed his decision with NBC Sports over the weekend. He is moving into broadcasting and will work as a Big Ten analyst for Peacock and co-host a Sunday night show on Fox Sports radio this fall.

"I played for so long and earned a veteran status," Rudolph told NBC Sports. "Now I'm a rookie getting as many reps as I can in the media world. This offseason is about, 'Where do I fit in?' The NBC job doing games on Peacock is cool. And talking about the storylines of the day in the NFL on Sunday nights will be cool, too."

Rudolph played one season each with the New York Giants (2021) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022) following a decade with the Vikings, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2017.