Sep 4th 2008 11:39AM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Dolphins, Raiders, Vikings
Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement today after nine seasons in the NFL.
He expressed his frustrations with the NFL in his retirement letter:
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. 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; whether in a starting, competing or a back-up role. 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. It seems that the stance I took in both Minnesota and Miami regarding my rights as a person and player has followed me into Free Agency.
Culpepper was the Vikings’ first-round draft pick in 1999 and spent seven seasons in Minnesota. He then played the 2006 season in Miami and the 2007 season in Oakland.
Culpepper had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history in 2004, when he passed for 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns and ran for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Although the final seasons of his career were largely disappointing, he’ll be remembered as a player whose size and athleticism changed people’s perceptions about the quarterback position, and as a three-time Pro Bowler.
