EAGAN Germaine Pratt Jersey , Minn. (AP) — part with Kyle Rudolph despite their lack of salary cap space, and the ninth-year tight end sure didn’t want to leave.No matter the tricky nature of making the numbers work for both sides, the mutual desire to keep the team’s longest-tenured offensive player in place was the driving force behind a four-year contract extension Rudolph signed on Tuesday with the Vikings .“I’ve bumped into a few people in the last week or so, and that was probably the number one question I got: ‘How’s Kyle? Is Kyle going to be here?’ And every one of them, when I said, ‘Yeah,’ were all glad,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “That’s the kind of guy he is in the community and how he represents the Vikings.”Rudolph had entered the final year of his current deal with a $7.25 million non-guaranteed salary, putting him at risk for being released after the Vikings drafted Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. in the second round.Making a rookie the primary player at that position would have been a big burden on Smith, though. As last season proved, the Vikings need to give quarterback Kirk Cousins as many options in the passing game as possible after wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs drew heavy attention during the second half of the schedule.“I want to be a part of the first team to win a championship here,” Rudolph said. “We got a taste of it two years ago. When we got close http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ryan-finley-jersey , you had a feel for how important that would be to this state, to this community, to this fan base.”The exhaustive work by Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and Rudolph’s agents, Brian Murphy and Camron Hahn, produced a contract with a value of $36 million in new money and a little more than $16 million in total guarantees. After a conversion of base salary to signing bonus that reduced Rudolph’s cap hit, he’ll make a fully guaranteed $9 million this year. By almost any measure of contract value, Rudolph will be among the five highest-paid players in the NFL at his position.“It was easy for me to come out here and just focus on football, because I had two agents that I trust and I play for an organization that I trust,” Rudolph said after the team’s first practice of a three-day minicamp.Rudolph, a two-time Pro Bowl pick who had 64 receptions for 634 yards and four touchdowns in 2018, has remained a key cog in the offense though never quite reaching the levels of productivity of peers such as Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce Renell Wren Jersey , Zach Ertz, Greg Olsen or Jason Witten have over the duration of his career. He is second among tight ends in Vikings history in catches and yards. Having played in every game over the past four seasons, Rudolph has a streak of 65 consecutive games started that is a franchise record and the longest active run by a tight end in the league.“I feel better now from a physical standpoint at 29 than I did at 21,” Rudolph said. “You just learn how to take care of your body.”The native of Cincinnati and product of Notre Dame has spoken often about how at home his family has felt in Minnesota . He’s a two-time nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for community service .“There’s a reason why I had no interest in testing free agency,” Rudolph said. “It’s because of the culture that they’ve established around here, and culture is what ultimately brings championships. In this league, the talent level is so even across all 32 teams, and if you don’t have good culture then you don’t have a chance.” NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Douglas was the favorite all along — and the Jets got their guy.The Philadelphia Eagles executive was hired Friday night to serve as New York’s general manager, tasked with leading the Jets back to respectability.Douglas, the Eagles’ vice president of player personnel, was one of four candidates interviewed twice by New York for the vacancy. He met with team officials last Saturday and Sunday, and again earlier this week.The team announced Friday night on Twitte r that it had agreed to terms with Douglas. The Jets did not announce the terms of the deal http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-michael-jordan-jersey , but ESPN reported it is a six-year contract.Douglas was widely considered the top candidate because he has previous work experience with Jets coach Adam Gase, who served as the team’s acting GM and was heavily involved in the search process. Douglas was Chicago’s director of college scouting in 2015, when Gase was the Bears’ offensive coordinator.They’re now reunited, leading an organization that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2010 season.Douglas replaces Mike Maccagnan, who was surprisingly fired last month after four seasons when Jets chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson said he took a “deeper dive” this offseason to analyze the inner-workings of the football side of the organization. Johnson decided to move on from Maccagnan — after firing coach Todd Bowles after the season — and stressed he was looking for “a strategic thinker” and added that “it’s more than a talent evaluation guy.” He also said he wanted “a great manager, a communicator — someone who can collaborate well with the building.”The Jets believe they have exactly that in Douglas, who was widely considered one of the up-and-coming potential GMs.He beat out Chicago assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly, New Orleans director of pro scouting Terry Fontenot and Seattle co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer for the job.Douglas helped build the Eagles into a Super Bowl champion during the 2017 season, working closely with executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman after joining Philadelphia’s front office in 2016.Before his one season in Chicago, Douglas worked in Baltimore’s personnel department from 2000 until 2015. He held various posts with Ravens during that time, including national scout, Southeast area scout Greedy Williams Jersey , East Coast area scout, Northeast area scout and player personnel assistant.The former offensive tackle started 45 straight games for the University of Richmond, and was an All-Atlantic 10 selection.Douglas inherits a solid core of talent with the Jets, including second-year quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Le’Veon Bell, safety Jamal Adams, linebacker C.J. Mosley, defensive lineman Leonard Williams and first-round draft pick Quinnen Williams.Douglas and Gase will report to Johnson separately, a structure the owner believes is most effective. Gase was responsible for player personnel during his three years as coach in Miami, but said that is not something he wants in New York.