The Facts: Rudolph, who will turn 30 in November, said he's out to prove something in his ninth NFL season, which happens to be the final year of his current Vikings contract. "When you've played a lot of football in this league and your name's been around a long time, everyone just assumes you're in your mid-30s and on your way out," Rudolph said Tuesday. "That's not the case with me. I feel like I'm just now starting to get into the prime of my career."

Diehards Line: Do the Vikings agree? That's not clear. And lingering ambiguity about Rudolph's future in Minnesota likely only fuels the fire to prove something. But he's proved plenty. Since he was drafted in 2011, Rudolph ranks fourth among all NFL tight ends in touchdowns (41), fifth in games started (104), 10th in receptions (386) and 12th in yardage (3,787). After dealing with injuries early in his career, Rudolph hasn't missed a game since 2014. And there has plenty of competition. Should the Vikings pick a tight end in next week's NFL draft, it'd be for the fifth straight offseason. Fresh competition is nothing new to Rudolph, who is also familiar with flipping through pages of another new playbook. Kevin Stefanski is his fifth offensive coordinator in Minnesota. And Rudolph's longest touchdown drought of his career (11 games) ended last season in December, during Stefanski's second game calling plays. Paired with newly hired assistant head coach Gary Kubiak, whose offenses have previously leaned heavily on two tight ends, Stefanski's offense could enable Rudolph to prove himself all over again.