Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph is unsure of how real the New England Patriots trade rumors were.

This was what Rudolph confided to MMQB's Albert Breer via 247Sports.com's Tyler Sullivan:

I don't know how real those trade possibilities were. But, like you said, I played for (former New England Patriots offensive coordinator) Charlie (Weis). So for me, I've kind of followed that organization from afar since 2008 when I got my first Notre Dame playbook and we watched cut-ups from the Patriots offense that we were running.

I have a huge amount of respect and appreciation for what they've done over the last two decades. But I don't know that there was ever any real opportunity there.

Obviously the speculation is going to be there because of their situation at my position and then our team's cash/cap situation and my salary. So there was kind of just a natural, like, ‘Hey, Kyle's familiar with the offense, he played for a coach that was a coordinator there.'

Rudolph signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension with the Vikings last week. That ended speculation he would sign with another team.

The Patriots, in particular, need a tight end of Rudolph's caliber. Perennial Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski retired in March, per Sullivan.

Moreover, Rudolph played for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame from 2008 to 2009. Weis served as the Patriots' offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2004. While Rudolph never played a single down for New England, he has some familiarity with the Pats' system.

For now, Rudolph will continue receiving passes from quarterback Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.