The Minnesota Vikings drafted former Alabama TE Irv Smith Jr. with the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, so it’s clear they like him.

However, his chance to start could come a lot sooner than expected per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport this week.

According to Rapoport, the Vikings are at a contract extension impasse with starting TE Kyle Rudolph and are now looking to trade him:

Rudolph has been with the Vikings since he was a second-round pick out of Notre Dame back in 2011, spending all eight years of his career in Minnesota.

Could the torch be passing to Smith as soon as this fall? We should find out what the Vikings’ plans are in the coming weeks.