Daunte Culpepper summed up his thoughts Thursday in two words, which ushered in the start of a new era for the former Pro Bowl quarterback.
“Farewell NFL,” he wrote.
With that, a career once filled with such promise came to a most unceremonious end.
Culpepper, who starred for the Minnesota Vikings before a major knee injury in 2005 curtailed his career, announced his retirement in an e-mail Thursday morning, saying he’s simply grown tired of fighting for one more opportunity.
The 31-year-old was the Vikings’ first-round draft choice in 1999, became their full-time starter a year later, and teamed with Randy Moss to pile up yards and touchdowns at an impressive rate.
But he hurt his right knee in October 2005, never played for the Vikings again, and never seemed to return to his past level, either.
“When free agency began this year, I had a new sense of excitement about continuing to rebuild my career in the same way that I had rebuilt my knee after my catastrophic injury in 2005,” Culpepper said. “Unfortunately, what I found out was that the league did not share any of the optimism about me as an unrestricted free agent that I expected. In fact, there was an overwhelming sense that there was no room for me among this year’s group of quarterbacks.”
The Miami Dolphins acquired him in 2006 in exchange for a second-round pick, but Culpepper played only four games before being shut down because of continued knee problems. He was sacked 21 times in those four games, and his brief stint with Miami had two compelling images:
n Getting sacked seven times in his first home game, where fans booed him by halftime.
n Walking off the field during minicamp in June 2007 because the Dolphins wouldn’t let him play, and flanked by a team security official.
“Now that dream to get back on the field and prove everybody wrong is behind him,” said Dolphins defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday, who talked to Culpepper about his ongoing comeback quest this summer. “It has to be tough. … When he was healthy, he was definitely one of the best.”
Last season, the Oakland Raiders took a shot on Culpepper, and he made five starts there, albeit only getting five touchdown passes in those games. And over the past few months, he tried to get any opportunity around the league.
There were no takers, and Culpepper saw no reason to keep waiting.
“Since I was not given a fair chance to come in and compete for a job, I would rather move on and win in other arenas of life,” Culpepper said.
“No matter what I did or said, there seemed to be a unified message from teams that I was not welcome to compete for one of the many jobs that were available at the quarterback position,” Culpepper said.
COLTS: Despite a torn ligament in his right knee, center Jeff Saturday is not planning on surgery anytime soon. The three-time Pro Bowl selection, who was hurt in the Colts’ preseason loss to Buffalo two weeks ago, will instead continue his rehab work amid hopes for a quick return.
BROWNS: Linebacker Antwan Peek has suffered a season-ending knee injury. Coach Romeo Crennel said that Peek ruptured his right patellar tendon while running during Wednesday’s workout.
JAGUARS: Jacksonville placed shooting-victim Richard Collier on the reserve/non-football injury list and signed offensive tackle Charles Spencer to take his spot on the active roster. Collier is making gradual improvement from gunshot wounds but is “not out of the woods yet,” his agent told a newspaper Thursday. Collier remained in critical but stable condition. Collier, a 6-foot-7, 345-pound backup, was shot several times while sitting in his Cadillac Escalade early Tuesday morning. Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting outside an apartment complex for two women when the attack occurred.
GIANTS: Wide receiver Plaxico Burress signed a two-year contract extension that will bump his salary into the $7 million range over the next five years. Burress had three years remaining on his original contract that he signed in 2005. He was to have earned about $10 million over that period.
BILLS: Starting linebacker Angelo Crowell will miss Buffalo’s season opener against Seattle on Sunday, and is out indefinitely after having surgery on his left knee on Thursday.
Coach Dick Jauron said Crowell’s decision to have arthroscopic surgery came as a surprise. Jauron said it was too early to tell how much time Crowell would miss.
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