MINNEAPOLIS -- Kyle Rudolph hasnt put up the biggest numbers over the first three years of his career, which is due as much to the Minnesota Vikings revolving door at quarterback as anything else. The Vikings have known all along what they have in Rudolph, a big, field-stretching tight end who can be a difference-maker in the right offence with the right quarterback. So now theyre paying him like one. Rudolph signed a five-year contract extension with the Vikings on Sunday night, a sign that the team has big plans for Rudolph in new offensive co-ordinator Norv Turners offence. The deal, which was first reported by Fox Sports, is worth $36.5 million with $19.4 million guaranteed. Incentives can push the deal to $40 million. "Im very excited to get this extension done with Kyle," Vikings GM Rick Spielman said. "We drafted him, hes done a tremendous job since hes been here. Our whole focus on moving forward in this organization is to draft our players, develop them and keep them here. Hes one of our young guys who is going to be a building block as we go forward in the future and just very excited to get this behind us so we can look forward to seeing him produce over the coming years." Rudolph missed eight games because of a broken left foot last season. He caught 30 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns last year, but was still named to the Pro Bowl and earned MVP honours in the game. His best season came in 2012, when he caught Rudolph was entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Vikings know what he can do when he is healthy. In 2012, he 53 passes for 493 yards and nine touchdowns, just the kind of production the Vikings envisioned when they drafted him in 2011. Spielman took a little bit of a risk when he made that selection because Rudolph missed the final seven games of his last season at Notre Dame after having surgery to repair a severe hamstring injury. But Rudolph played 31 of 32 games in his first two seasons in the NFL before missing half the season a year ago with his broken foot. "Ive said all along I wanted to stay in Minnesota," Rudolph said. "I love the fans, the community and, most importantly, Im excited about where this team is going. Im looking forward to the 2014 season and helping this organization reach our ultimate goal." Rudolphs production to this point has been somewhat hindered by the Vikings inability to find a consistent quarterback. Rudolphs friend and draft classmate Christian Ponder has failed to live up to expectations and previous offensive co-ordinator Bill Musgrave struggled at times to get Rudolph involved in the passing game. New head coach Mike Zimmer brought in Turner, considered one of the best offensive co-ordinators of his generation, to run the offence. Turner has had success in the past with great tight ends like Jay Novacek in Dallas and Antonio Gates in San Diego, and he has been impressed early in training camp by Rudolph. The Vikings also hope to have a much more stable quarterback situation with veteran Matt Cassel and rookie Teddy Bridgewater competing for the job. "The thing Kyle has done is get up the field and he is running better than he has been in the past," Turner said. "I think he is understanding that we are trying to change his style of running in terms of routes and he is taking to it. I expect him to be a big part of what we do offensively." Adidas Shoes Australia Cheap . In the last race before the Sochi Olympics, Bjoergen followed up her win in the 10-kilometre classical race on Saturday by beating World Cup sprint leader Denise Herrmann of Germany by 0.43 seconds for her fifth victory of the season. Custom Adidas Shoes Australia . - Benched Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman said he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and voluntarily entered the NFL substance abuse program more than a year ago after mistakenly taking a medication to treat the condition. http://www.cheapadidasaustraliashoes.com/. He says he will have the operation Wednesday and be ready in time for training camp in September. Bernier missed five games in March due to the injury. Adidas Shoes Australia . It was the first game back in Columbus for Rangers star Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, assists and games. He was given a standing ovation during a video tribute in the first period, but was booed loud and long after a second-period, two-handed shove up high on Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Cheap Adidas Shoes Online Australia . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said.WINNIPEG -- Maurice Leggett may be a CFL rookie, but hes been around professional football since 2008. Thats long enough to have played in a lot of different schemes, and he says he likes the feel of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers new-look defence. "Its fun to me, its like Hey, look what I can do now," the member of Winnipegs secondary said after practice Tuesday. "Its a fun defence. The best way to play is having fun." The bible according to defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry is know what your neighbour does and be prepared to do it yourself, whenever and wherever necessary. "I have to learn the entire defence just in case something happens, or I have to direct someone that doesnt know what to do as well as I know the defence," said Leggett, who could be returning to the lineup in Vancouver Friday, after being out with an ankle injury since July 3. Hes healthy again at the right time, with a question mark hanging over an injured Johnny Sears for Fridays tilt against the surging B.C. Lions. "He seems like a pretty smart football player," said head coach Mike OShea. "Hes smooth, smooth, smooth out there. Hes competitive. He can do a bunch of different things. We were pretty happy with Moe Leggett from the get-go so its not a stretch to see him in there." OShea says his versatility is exactly what the Bombers want. "These guys got to know the goal is, by some point during the season, they know everything about every position," OShea said. "Thats how they meet, thats how they talk." The other side to Etcheverrys defence is dictate the play with a healthy side of unpredictability. Its not quiite freelance, said Leggett.dddddddddddd "You have a structure to it but the structure is communication more than anything. . . Were not there yet completely but were on the verge of making a lot of progress." At five-foot-eleven and 186 pounds, Leggett came to the Bombers from the Arena Football League, after stints with Kansas City and Detroit in the NFL. Signed by the Chiefs in 2008, Leggett won the Mack Lee Hill Award as the teams top rookie, the first undrafted player to win the award. He started eight games for Kansas City but was injured in 2009 and 2010 and attended Lions training camp in 2011. Promising young players like Leggett made it easier for the Bombers to release high-profile singing Korey Banks earlier this month. Meanwhile, OShea says while Sears remains a maybe, defensive end Jason Vega definitely wont be playing the Lions. Winnipegs defence held but their offence stumbled against the Edmonton Eskimos last week. OShea says they need to improve communication on the offensive line but he is confident that will be addressed in Vancouver. "What do we need to fix? The mistakes," he said with a laugh. The Bombers are still deciding whether receiver Aaron Kelly will be back in the lineup Friday. Defensively, there were more than a few missed tackles last week as Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly racked up close to 100 yards on the ground, but the Bombers held the Eskimos to just one offensive touchdown in the 26-3 loss. It was their first loss this season and they head to B.C. at 3-1, while the improved Lions (2-2), are coming off a 41-5 drubbing of the Montreal Alouettes last week, their second win in a row. ' ' '