The New York Giants and Kyle Rudolph have hit a snag in trying to complete the tight end’s free-agent contract, a source confirmed Tuesday night.

The club’s medical staff believes Rudolph needs surgery on his foot after putting him through a physical.

Rudolph agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $14 million last Thursday to join the Giants, but he hadn’t signed the deal yet because it was contingent upon passing his physical, as all free-agent contracts are.

So the team and Rudolph were working together on Tuesday night to figure out how to proceed.

The deal isn’t dead, but the Giants and Rudolph are discussing next steps. The complications were first reported by NFL Network.

Rudolph, 31, missed the final four games of last season with a foot injury but is well-known for his durability, having played in 92 of the Vikings’ 96 regular-season games since the start of the 2015 season.

He has 48 career touchdown catches, great hands, and would give the Giants another red zone threat, a well-rounded veteran tight end, and a positive locker room influence.

He was signed in Minnesota through 2022, but the Vikings moved on with the salary cap shrinking, Rudolph due a $7.6 million salary in 2021, and young tight end Irv Smith Jr. factoring more into the offense.

Rudolph raved on SiriusXMNFL Radio recently about why he was excited to join the Giants. He was scheduled to count $4.75 million against New York’s 2021 cap under the terms of his new deal.

“Starting with Coach Joe Judge and the culture side that he’s building there, one of the things that stuck out to me immediately in our conversation was his work ethic, his drive for the game,” Rudolph told hosts Bob Papa and Charlie Weis. “One of the lines that (Judge) said that really resonated with me was that ‘overachievers aren’t OK with mediocrity.’ And he’s like, ‘I want to surround myself with a bunch of overachievers.’

“And I’ve always looked at myself as someone that tries to work harder than the next guy and be an overachiever,” Rudolph added. “That really resonated with me, and that’s something that I want to be a part of. (Judge) said, ‘Look, we’re all about football. We’re gonna work hard. We’re gonna do things the hard way. We’re gonna build things the right way so it lasts.’ And that’s something I want to be a part of.”

RAIDERS: Marcus Mariota is expected to re-sign with the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2021 season to be the backup to Derek Carr, a restructured contract with a $3.5 million base salary but with incentives could rise to $8 million.

Mariota’s renegotiated contract marks a significant reduction from the $10.625 million he originally slated to receive in the final year of the two-year, $17.5 million contract he signed in 2020. However, the Raiders didn’t want to pay Mariota and reportedly issued an ultimatum last week to Mariota – accept a $7 million pay cut or be traded or released.

A restructured contract makes it easier to trade him if a team has a need to acquire a quarterback either in training camp or during the season. Mariota reportedly had been unwilling to accept a restructured deal to facilitate a trade a month ago, possibly in an effort to force the Raiders to release him.

Unfortunately for Mariota, teams that had been in the market for a potential QB1 have either signed or traded to acquire their 2021 starters during the last month, leaving few starting opportunities. Now, with a very different quarterback landscape compared to a month ago, Mariota may have to wait until the 2022 season to get another opportunity to be a starting quarterback.

DESHAUN WATSON: A 14th woman has filed a lawsuit accusing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault and harassment.

The claims in the latest suit, which was filed late Monday night in a Harris County state district court, are similar to those in the earlier cases in which the women accuse Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against their will while he got a massage. The most recent lawsuit was filed by a woman who alleges Watson assaulted her in July 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. Six others lawsuits were filed earlier Monday while the others were filed last week.

Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, has called the allegations “meritless,” while the NFL player has broadly denied he acted inappropriately.

The 14 women, who have sued separately, have not been identified in the lawsuits. They are represented by Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee, who’s said he planned to submit evidence from several of the women to investigators.

Authorities have declined to comment on the allegations.

PACKERS: Cornerback Kevin King is staying with the Green Bay Packers after agreeing to a one-year deal worth $6 million.

The move enables the Packers to keep both their starting cornerbacks from last season with Pro Bowl selection Jaire Alexander entrenched at the other spot.

King, who turns 26 on May 5, has made 36 starts in his four-year career and 25 over the last two seasons. The Packers drafted him in the second round with the 33rd overall pick in 2017.

TITANS: Tennessee agreed to terms on a one-year deal with wide receiver Josh Reynolds after losing starting wide receiver Corey Davis in free agency to the New York Jets last week.

The fourth-round pick in 2017 has not missed a game through his first four seasons, and his streak of 64 games played is tied for the third-longest active streak among wide receivers. Reynolds has 113 career catches for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns, and has 11 catches for 186 yards in six playoff games with the Rams.

Reynolds is coming off his best season. He started 13 games and caught 52 passes for 618 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a pass in each game last season and lined up both outside and in the slot for the Rams.

BILLS: Buffalo is welcoming back a dynamic receiving, running and return threat after reaching an agreement to re-sign Isaiah McKenzie to a one-year contract on Tuesday.

McKenzie is valued for the “gadget” role he played in scoring five touchdowns receiving, another returning a punt, and one on a 12-yard completion to quarterback Josh Allen last season. McKenzie returns for a third full season in Buffalo since being claimed by the team in 2018 after he was cut by Denver.

PANTHERS: Carolina  agreed to terms one a one-year contract with starting right guard John Miller and added free agent linebacker/special teams player Frankie Luvu from the New York Jets.

Miller started 14 games last season for the Panthers at right guard and should provide some needed stability on the right side of the offensive line alongside tackle Taylor Moton, who received the franchise tag from Carolina earlier this offseason. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound Miller was an unrestricted free agent who tested the market before rejoining the Panthers. He spent his first five seasons with the Bills and Bengals, starting 74 games over that span.

BENGALS: The Cincinnati Bengals signed free-agent cornerback Eli Apple to a one-year contract.

Apple, a former Ohio State star, was a first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2016 and went to the New Orleans Saints via trade in 2018.

He played for the Carolina Panthers on a one-year contract last season but injuries limited him to two games. He has played in 57 career NFL games, with 219 tackles and three interceptions.

Apple will be reunited in the Bengals’ secondary with former Buckeyes teammate Vonn Bell, who is a starting safety.

STEELERS: The Pittsburgh Steelers released veteran cornerback Steven Nelson, opting to cut him rather than trade him, an announcement that came shortly after Nelson tweeted the team was “holding him hostage.”

The team gave the 28-year-old Nelson permission to explore trade destinations last Friday after the AFC North champions re-signed cornerback Cam Sutton to a two-year deal.

Four days later, the Steelers abruptly parted with one of the NFL’s better defenders in the middle of his prime.

The decision saves Pittsburgh about $8.25 million against salary cap, though Nelson does carry a $6.17 million hit in dead money.

Nelson signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Steelers in 2019, one of the richest free-agent deals given out by the typically frugal (at least when it comes to splurging on the open market) clubs in the league. He and Joe Haden became one of the league’s top cornerback tandems and one of the reasons the Steelers finished fifth in total defense in 2019 and third in 2020.

BEARS: The Chicago Bears signed offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson to a one-year contract.

The 6-foot-6, 329-pound Wilkinson played in 45 games and made 26 starts with Denver from 2017 to 2020 after entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Massachusetts. He made seven starts at right guard in 2018, and 19 at right tackle over the past two years.

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