Daunte Culpepper has apparently had enough of the retired life.The former Vikings, Dolphins, and Raiders quarterback retired from the NFL in early September. He couldn't find a job that fit his desires, which was a bar he may have set too high.
Along the way, rumors got cranking that Culpepper was talking to the Lions and Chiefs about a possible return. No dice.
However, apparently whatever talking may or may not have taken place was enough to get Culpepper itching. He's back.
"A number of teams have contacted me since my retirement announcement and have provided some important information that has caused me to reconsider returning to the League. As much as I have enjoyed my brief break from playing, I know that I love the game and I have some unfinished business in the NFL. It has never been because of a lack of passion for the game but rather, the absence of a fair opportunity to compete and play that caused me to retire. Now that there are some real opportunities that match my desire to play, I will choose the one that is the best fit for both the team and me so that I can continue my NFL career. For the second half of this season, I hope to play a role in helping a team win some games. I want to thank all of those who encouraged me to 'keep a light on' for the right NFL opportunity that would eventually come back to me."
Culpepper's career decline can be directly connected to his disastrous 2005 knee injury, one that blew any chance he had to re-invent his career after the Vikings traded Randy Moss to the Raiders. Of course, Culpepper and Moss were downright lethal together in Minnesota, but Moss just couldn't be handled by the Vikings' staff anymore. They got sick of him.
Culpepper himself was traded to Miami after he was injured. He bombed there, in part because he rushed himself back from the knee injury, and he then went to Oakland last year.
Where might he go now? Good question. PFT notes that Denver has placed Patrick Ramsey on injured reserve, so there's an opening behind Jay Cutler. Perhaps Green Bay has tired of having two rookies backing up a dinged-up Aaron Rodgers.
Is there a chance he could land a job somewhere like San Francisco, where they could definitely afford to give him a shot at the starting job during the off-season?
Honestly, no one seems to know. But it's certain that Culpepper has tired of talking about a potential comeback. It's no longer a potential comeback.
And his retirement of under 60 days is quite a challenge for Brett Favre to break. You know, the next time Brett Favre retires.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-23-2008 @ 5:51PM
ck34 said...
Why not the obvious which might be reuniting him with Moss in New England? I suspect he could be king of the Cassel.
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10-23-2008 @ 11:45PM
GS said...
I think Culpepper should go to Dallas...they have great recievers and Brad Johnson should retire.He don't look like a quarterback;he looks like someone they got off the street to fill in til Romo gets back.
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10-24-2008 @ 2:54PM
don said...
please new england do you want to have some fun put culpepper with randy it could fix your season,
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10-24-2008 @ 2:54PM
don said...
please New England bring back the Randy Culpepper bomis a way
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10-24-2008 @ 3:25PM
geordi said...
Culpepper and Moss were a great team when they started in Minnesota but like anything else, the competition figured out how to handle the threat and they weren't nearly as effective by the time Culpepper got hurt.
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10-24-2008 @ 4:04PM
A.J. said...
I think that Culpepper just set the bar too high without understanding the situation. Culpepper - not that I blame him - wanted to spend the last few years of his career being a starter for a team that was a contender, or at least close to being one.
The only problem is - most teams that are contenders don't have QB issues, and most teams that do aren't really contenders.
If he wants to play, I'd look at San Francisco, Detroit, or maybe even go knocking on the door of the Metrodome again. It's pretty clear that Tarvaris Jackson has simply found some way to end up in Brad Childress' doghouse, because Gus Frerotte isn't really playing any better than Tarvaris Jackson, and Jackson has something that Frerotte can't have at his age - upside. Even so, Childress pulled Jackson at the first sign of trouble and has pretty much shut the door on any chance of Jackson returning to a starting role this year...yet Frerotte's playing sort of lazy, as if he knows nobody can take his job. That might change if the Vikes were to bring back Culpepper.
The most likely place for him, I think, though, is San Fran. They're under a new head coach, and unlike the Lions, are actually capable of winning a game or two because they have something that slightly resembles both offense and defense.
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10-25-2008 @ 1:32PM
KrAzYeDdIe said...
i hope Duante comes back and makes alot of people eat crow,my opinion is dante can be a back up anywhere in this league and can hold his own,here is to you Daunte,now go getem
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