MIAMI -- 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.
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| Daunte Culpepper threw 142 TD passes -- 135 of them for Minnesota. (US Presswire) |
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:
• Getting sacked seven times in his first home game, where fans booed him by halftime.
• 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.
"The thing about Daunte was he was a fabulous competitor," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. "He competed as hard as anybody on our field and that's unusual for a quarterback."
