Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement from the NFL today, bringing an end to his nine-year pro career. When I first heard that he was retiring, I just couldn’t believe it.
Why would he just give up so soon? He still has so many years left in him, and the right opportunity could still present itself.
Culpepper’s retirement got me thinking about how he arrived in his situation in the first place. I looked back at the downfall of his career and realized that much of it wasn’t his fault.
In 2005, after Randy Moss was traded, Culpepper did not come back to the same team. Besides losing Moss, the Vikings had a very weak offensive line.
They had a weak rookie guard in Marcus Johnson. Tackle Bryant McKinnie was bothered by a sprained left foot and had an off year. Also, they lost their perennial Pro Bowl center Matt Birk at the beginning of training camp and couldn’t fill the void he left.
The Vikings ended up finishing second in the league in sacks allowed in 2005, with 54. Obviously, a quarterback isn’t going to play well if he doesn’t have time to throw the ball.
In Week Eight, Culpepper tore a tendon in his right knee and was injured for the rest of the year. The following season, he was traded to Miami. Many experts picked Miami as a Super Bowl sleeper.
Culpepper played a few games with the Dolphins, but it became obvious his knee wasn’t ready and he sat out the rest of the season. A player who has a serious knee injury needs way more than eight months to heal before his knee is back to full strength.
Just look at the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudamire. He had a serious knee injury and it took him two years before he was finally back to All Star form. Just like Culpepper, he tried to come back early and he ended up sitting out another year.
Last season, Culpepper made the same mistake Kerry Collins and Aaron Brooks made.
If a quarterback is looking to rebuild, it doesn't make any sense to go to a team like the Raiders, who have no offensive line.
Culpepper was doomed from the beginning. I don’t know if there are any quarterbacks in the league that could have found success with the Raiders.
Culpepper’s knee looked fine last season and at times he looked very good. When he had five touchdowns passes (and three rushing) in a game against the Dolphins, his knee looked great.
But unless the Raiders were going to play the Dolphins every week, there was no way Culpepper was going to have a successful season.
I believe that Culpepper could return to his 39-touchdown form if he is put in the right situation. He still has physical tools that no other quarterback has ever had.
No other quarterback as big as Culpepper has ever been as mobile as he is. He knows he can still play, and he can’t understand why he isn’t being offered a starting job. I can’t really blame him for being upset.
21 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
T D 10 months ago
Articles like this should've been written before all of this happened. Daunte deserved better than the treatment he got from the NFL and from the media. Maybe if someone, ANYONE, had stepped forward and supported him before, he would've felt valued enough to keep going with his career. Giving credit where it is due is a form of damage control, or more importantly, appreciation.
Now, sadly, Culpepper fans everywhere are heaving sighs of disappointment.
Daunte, I'll miss ya.
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Eric Gomez 10 months ago
The fact that he retired is a non-issue. When does a retirement truly mean anything other than "I'm waiting for a better offer/I was forced to do this" unless you're 40 something or injured?
He'll be back when a team truly needs him.
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Jake Perper 10 months ago
its a shame. i remember when he taunted the dolphins last year when he scrambled for a TD. He showed that his knee was fine.
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Eddie Beamer 10 months ago
I totally agree with you. I'm from Chicago and I can't understand why Kyle Orton is starting when a person like Culpepper is looking for a job? If anyone thinks Orton can do a better job, than they need to get their head checked.
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Lenny Jolie 10 months ago
You are completely right about Oakland. If your a quarterback and you go to the Oakland Raiders you might as well have your retirement papers already signed.
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S M Napier 10 months ago
Great article Ari. The Bears are the perfect fit for Culpepper, they love players with bad knees but with him it's a upgrade at QB. Really liked the guy, it's a shame that no one gave him a chance this preseason and he proved against Miami that the knees fine.
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Raider Revenge Payback 10 months ago
Lenny: Don't hate. Besides Jamarca Russell is not retired.
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Raider Revenge Payback 10 months ago
The injury to Rich Gannon hurts the Nation worst than we think. I truly feel that we win more games if he was able to play.
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Chris Rhodan 10 months ago
Yeh this was what has baffled me most of the pre-season, I dont understand why a team like the Bears, Ravens or even the Falcons wouldnt pick him up on a one year contract, He'd most likely be an improvement over their current starter (two of whom are rookies) and especially for the Ravens/Falcons, could lead the team and slowly allow them to bring their rookie QB into the league more slowly and safely
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Jack Frost 10 months ago
Eddie,
I'm a Chicago guy, too. But if you think Culpepper would last 5 minutes behind our line, you are a hopeless fan and optimist.
You're right about Orton, though. Caleb all the way.
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William Berry 10 months ago
If he can actually beat out other candidates for back up jobs. The Steeler's going with Leftwich makes me wonder.
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Walter Thompson Jr. 10 months ago
Daunte will be back in the league. I put money on it.
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AVIAD DOV 10 months ago
GREAT ARTICLE!
WHY THE KC CHIEFS ARE NOT TRYING TO GET HIM AS QB?. THEY HAVE THE MOST HORRIBLE YOUNG QB WHO DID NOT PERFROM IN THE PRE SEASON AND THEY REFUSE TO USE DAMON HUARD WHO THEY TREAT AS AN OLD GUY, HAS BEEN.
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mark h 10 months ago
very interesting article !
I think it is agreat idea for the Chicago Bears to take him but they will never do that . The Chicago Bears management are affected by public opinions and polls. I guess they care more about filling the stands and wishful thinking than winning!
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Craig Garrison Sr 10 months ago
Well, I was going to write about this myself, but I'll use Ari's article (nice job Ari, BTW) to post my thoughts instead.
I don't think any of you are seeing the whole picture. One of the reasons he wasn't given any other opportunities is the whole agent issue, he should be able to be his own agent, but the reality is that such things tend to get in the way. I don't think coaches don't like dealing with that type of dynamic.
But most importantly, it was his play. In '05, after he went down, Brad Johnson stepped in and was sacked every 12.78 attempts, where as Culpepper as sacked once for every 6.9 attempts! Same line, different quarterback. Then, in Miami, he showed the same issues, holding the ball too long and looking for the big play too often. His knee certainly played a role in his performance there, but HE played a role in his performance there as well.
Your point on going to the Raiders is very good one, but, if he were a quarterback that coaches felt could help them win, he'd be on a team right now, no matter what else was going on with him or the team. You also failed to point out a few more stats. In only 7 games, along with the 5 TDs, came 5 INTs, 21 sacks, 21 sacks people, in only 7 games. The other quarterbacks with the same line in NINE games only had a total of 20 sacks. That says something about the guy's play. And also don't forget that his MVP season was accompanied by a guy named Randy Moss, who also had himself one monster year.
Where else was he going to have a Moss to just throw it up to when things got tough? Culpepper was never quite the quarterback his numbers in Minnesota painted him to be.
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Ari Horing 10 months ago
Look below
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Ari Horing 10 months ago
Ya you make a good point, but sometimes in a situation where you ahve a bad offensive line, holding on to the ball and taking the sack can be smart. Josh Mcnown who may have had less sacks had a
quarterback rating of 69.4 while Culpepper had a rating of 78.0. Even worse Jamarcus Russel had a rating of 55.9. Not to mention the year before Aaron brooks had a rating of 61.7 and Andrew Walters had a rating of 55.8. So yes those guys may have had less sacks but they didn't peform a good as culpepper.
And Yes Culpepper had 5 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions but he also had 3 rushing touchdowns.
However he does have a problem of holding on to the ball, buts thats one of the reasons I said Culpepper could return to his pro bowl form if he was put in the right situation.
I'll admit Brad Johnson played well after he took over for Culpepper. But I think more than anything he just caught fire. The next season Johnson had 9 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for the vikings.
Also the year Culpepper threw for 39 touchdowns Moss was injured for 5 games. In those games Culpepper thre for 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. So moss wasn't the only reason Culpepper was good.
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Craig Garrison Sr 10 months ago
I have heard in radio interviews that he simply wasn't trusted to "read" defenses very well, and that ultimately, he had issue with learning it, don't if the rumor was that he wasn't very coachable or what, but "the right" situation may just be a little too difficult to find for him. I just don't think he got as raw a deal as he painted it to be in his emailed retirement.
And, since I never really thought much of him anyway(as a player, I certainly couldn't speak about the person at all), I don't think football will miss him much.
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Daniel Muth 10 months ago
I think we can all agree that there are better quarterbacks out there than Culpepper. But can't we also agree that there are some TERRIBLE QB's out there too. Culpepper with the Bears or the Ravens makes a lot of sense. That nobody came looking for him hints at some sort of collusion. For some reason, he's been black-listed, though as others have pointed out, I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the league at some point. Good article.
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Philip Fitch 10 months ago
Just a matter of time before C-pep is back in the league. Some QB will go down, it happens every year. I am sure he will stay in shape and if not this year, he will come back next year and compete for a starting QB job.
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Al's Wingman 10 months ago
The fact the he went through the process of retiring tells me he was more concerned with being snubbed than anything else. His ego couldn't take it. Besides which, he could have very easily have humbled himself and figured out he was really best suited to be a backup at this point in his career. Plenty of teams would have taken a chabce on him if he did not have an inflated sense of self worth and price tag for his services.
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