[1] Rutten was moved to defence and made a name for himself as a tough full-back, coming of age in the 2005 AFL season, where he was part of Adelaide's sturdy defensive unit, and often held his opponents to two goals or less.

[4] He played his last game against St Kilda on 31 August 2014, scoring his ninth and final AFL goal in the last kick of his career.

On 17 September 2019, it was announced that Rutten would succeed John Worsfold as the senior coach of Essendon at the conclusion of the 2020 AFL season.

[12] Following an unsuccessful 2022 season in which Essendon under Rutten won seven out of 22 games, David Barham replaced Paul Brasher as Essendon's club president on 15 August and immediately attempted to sign four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, all whilst Rutten was still under contract for 2023.

On 19 August, Clarkson instead signed as senior coach of North Melbourne, stating that the Bombers' offer came "far too late" to seriously attract his interest.