New Bucs tight end Kyle Rudolph has seen and done it all in his 11-year NFL career. He’s just missing one major prize: a Super Bowl ring. That’s why he’s in Tampa.

“At this point in my career, what I was looking for in terms of a team and an organization, everything is about winning. The only thing I haven’t done to this point is win a championship. And that’s all I want to do,” Rudolph said Wednesday. “It has been very evident the first two days here, that is the ultimate goal. Everything that we do individually, or collectively as a team, or collectively as an offense, is about reaching that ultimate goal. It has been stressed numerous times.”

That’s the Tom Brady effect at work.

Since Brady’s arrival in 2020, Tampa has been a destination. He brought Rob Gronkowski along with him that year. Leonard Fournette and Antonio Brown later signed on as well. They all played a role in the Bucs winning Super Bowl LV that season.

In 2021, the Bucs kept their championship team intact, largely on the hope of returning to contend for another one. And in 2022, they’ve maximized their window with Brady by adding some key free agents looking to win it all for the first time in their careers. Rudolph is among that group.

Rudolph, Fellow Veterans Look To Earn Their First Rings With The Bucs

Of course, every player’s dream is to win a Super Bowl. And the older a player gets, the more the realization sets in that they don’t have much longer to achieve that dream.

It’s not like Rudolph hasn’t been close in the past. The first two times he made the playoffs in Minnesota (2012 and 2015), the Vikings suffered first-round exits. But in 2017, the team earned a first-round bye, then used the “Minneapolis Miracle” to beat the Saints in the NFC Divisional Round. But the magic ran out in the NFC Championship Game, with the Vikings falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles.

Bucs WR Julio Jones – Photo by: Scott Reynolds/PR

The veteran tight end’s most recent shot at his first ring came in 2019, when he caught an overtime touchdown against the Saints to send Minnesota to the NFC Divisional Round. It was there, though, that the Vikings’ season came to an end at the hands of the 49ers. Rudolph hasn’t played in a playoff game since. He said Wednesday that getting back in position to win a Super Bowl doesn’t just fall into your lap. It’s earned.

“Obviously, [the Bucs] came up just short last year but, you’re retooling the team each year and now we have to start from ground zero and build back up to that,” he said. “You don’t just get the opportunity to be back in the divisional round, you have to earn it. So, for me coming into a culture like that, to be around that type of vibe, that was what I was looking for.”

Rudolph isn’t the only veteran free agent Tampa Bay signed who is looking for his first ring. Akiem Hicks, Keanu Neal and the newly signed Julio Jones all have the same story.

“I talked to Julio today as soon as he walked out on the field,” Rudolph said. “He said ‘I really thought about coming down here and seeing you go down there and some of the other pieces that they’ve added. … Let’s do it. Let’s go do everything we can to try to win one.’

“I think it just speaks volumes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer organization. It speaks volumes of the culture, of Coach [Todd] Bowles. Everyone knows that’s why you’re coming here.”

Three ‘First Days’ In A Row And A Warm Welcome For Rudolph

Whether it’s starting a new desk job or joining a team with championship aspirations, an adjustment period is expected. For Rudolph, it’s already been a busy few days since arriving in Tampa.

Bucs TE Kyle Rudolph – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Certainly kind of a whirlwind of 36-48 hours. Getting down here. Going through the physical, then meeting everyone in the building from training staff to equipment staff, strength staff, football staff. That was kind of Monday for me,” Rudolph said. “Then, yesterday, a lot of the guys were around and now you get to meet your teammates and the guys you’re going to be working with, whether in the tight end room or the offense room in general. And then today, to come out and get on the practice field. So, it was kind of like three ‘first days’ for me in a row.”

As the new guy in town, Rudolph has already been surrounded by suggestions, advice and connections. And it’s only made his adjustment period easier.

“One of the best things about football and pro sports in general, it’s kind of a family of people. Within two to four hours of news breaking that we were coming down here, so many people reached out about places to live, schools to send the kids,” Rudolph said. “Connecting with not even Bucs players, but Lightning players. I live in Minnesota, so it’s all hockey guys up there. A lot of the Lightning guys are up there. I can’t speak more highly for my first three days down here and the warm welcome not only I’ve had, but my family’s had – and my family’s not even here yet.”

Establishing a strong culture is a major factor in building a championship team. It’s why Rudolph can seamlessly transition into a new city with a new team. And it’s only going to help him, his fellow newcomers and the rest of the team come together with the common goal of raising the Lombardi Trophy next February.