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Over the past several months, quarterback Daunte Culpepper has been trying to find work with one of the NFL’s 32 teams. Though we don’t necessarily agree with his decision to do so without an agent, we respect his decision.
The problem is that, while wearing both hats, he really hasn’t had a chance to get his message across to the fans of the NFL, since only portions of his words land in articles written about his situation.
So we offered him a chance to make his case in an unedited, open letter.
And he accepted.
We’re know we’re supposed to be neutral (and all that crap), but we look forward to the day Daunte is back on the football field.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Dante…would love to see you back in the NFL…hire an agent and it will happen…don’t and it probably won’t…be stubborn and it won’t…doesn’t mean you can’t review the contract yourself, see B Westbrook missing the preseason game…you need an agent desperately…Dude
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I hope one coach / GM has the balls to talk with him face to face, instead of the circle jerks that most agent discussions are these days. If he can play, sign him. If not, don’t.
Heck, he might have a career as an agent himself when this is all said and done.
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Rating: 2.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Nobody cares about an aging overrated QB that isn’t bright enough to hire an agent. Move on to real news and quit wasing bandwith tryin to audition for the agent vacancy Culpepper obviously has, Florio.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Another classic example of a guy trying ‘to make a point’ at the expense of his career. Merriman is doing the same thing in San Diego. This is precisely why so many athletes get dogged with the label of being ‘dumb jocks.’
Drew Rosenhaus sold the NFL on Willis Mcgahee after many people thought his injury would be career-threatening and even if he did ‘recover’ he’d never be the same back. Buffalo jumped, he got drafted and got some good cash there. Now he’s in Baltimore–and hurt again–and Rosenhaus negotiated another sweetheart-deal.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
What market was he researching? He is worth what a team will pay him. Oh, and did his research show that there are no guaranteed contracts in the NFL? That is the function of bonus money, of which he received quite a bit from Minnesota. For good or bad, that is the deal the union made with management.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Daunte, hire an agent and I will look forward to watching you reclaim the status of turnover machine that you held for so long.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Do you wear the blinged out pickle when you put the suit on?
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
maybe they have seen what they need to see.
or he isnt being forthcoming.
it is hard to believe that NO teams would listen to pullpecker’s entreaties just ecause a bunch of agents said “dont listen to him”.
if i was an owner, an agent is the last guy i would trust.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I don’t really understand. At one point he says that he never told the Steelers that he wanted to compete for the starter job, but then he says, “Why was I not given the chance to compete for a job?” when explaining why he never took the back-up jobs.
Apparently no one thinks Dante’s a capable starter anymore, which having seen him play for Miami, I don’t disagree. Sorry.
He should really take Ray’s advice, take the vet minimum and start his career over. Or don’t play anymore. That’s the choice he has - the only way they might change is if a team is so hard up that they think Dante’s a good choice to salvage their season. And God help them if they’re that hard-up to delude themselves.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I applaud your decision to run this article, and I applaud Daunte for accepting.
Good for you Florio and good luck to you Daunte.
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I understand his point, and some other players have been able to play while representing themselves (Neil O’Donnell comes to mind). I’m not so sure he’s at the top of the list though considering Casey Bramlet got called to Baltimore before he did. Having Cam Cameron there was working against him though.
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Rating: Not yet rated
August 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
The truth is, if Daunte had an agent, he’d be on a team right now.
He’s taking a stand for what he feels is right, so he must be prepared to endure the ramifications that come with it. Regardless if he was, he is now.
Daunte has a right to represent himself in contract negotiations, just like you have a right to represent yourself in a court of law.
Neither one is recommended however, because in both cases, you can easily end up screwed. (well, in one case you’re in jail and in the other your playing in the NFL under a bad contract, but I think you get my point)
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
wow an exclusive story from some guy thats not in the NFL. Hey I’m not in the NFL do you want me to write up my opinion of why i’m not an NFL QB?
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Rating: 2.8 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Most of us work, get jobs and negotiate raises without an agent. Why should Daunte not be afforded the same right?
As a Vikings fan, I watched Daunte have three pro bowl years and lead us to the playoffs twice. There are not a lot of starting QB’s in the league that can make that same claim. This was only 3 seasons ago. It’s not like he suddenly forgot how to play QB.
If his knee is healthy, I hope a team gives Daunte a shot. He is better than a lot of the QB’s currently on rosters. And a few that are even starting (see: Smith, Troy)
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Butch, the difference is Daunte has played before and you haven’t. Let me know the next time you line up an exclusive with someone who has had one of the best season’s for a QB in NFL history.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Good letter by Daunte, but I agree he should get an agent. Not for his sake per se, but for the sake of his potential 32 employers who have said they’d be more comfortable that way. Heck, he’d probably still be a Viking if an agent had acted as an intermediary after he got hurt. Then again, I’m still ticked cause I bought my wife a new Daunte jersey right before he was hurt. Most everyone in Minnesota still likes him and wishes him success.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
If you did write that, ButchD, I would gladly read it.
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Rating: 3.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I don’t what the significance of representing your self matters (I’m just guessing because GM’s won’t jerk around an agent like they feel they can Daunte), and no, compared what to some guys are making in the NFL at the QB position, he shouldn’t have to settle for the veteran minimum. He should be able to get a contract with escalators in them.
That being said, I honestly went down the rosters of every NFL team, and I am as completely unbiased as can be on this, and Daunte could definitely be a starter for probably as many as TEN teams in the NFL as we speak.
I have no vested in this whatsoever, but there is little doubt Daunte Culpepper is being blackballed by the NFL.
Please, can you seriously tell me Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman is an upgrade over Daunte Culpepper? Not with a straight face you couldn’t.
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Rating: 4.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Some of you folks seem to think you know more about the business than someone who is in it. How interesting.
Culpepper always put on a good show in Minnesota. As a fan, I enjoyed watching him play. There were ups and downs, but that was the nature of the game. One never doubted that Daunte would go out and do his best, and that there would be plenty of excitement. As a fan, that’s what I want. I want to watch someone who isn’t just a great athlete, but also puts on a good show. For a lot of years Daunte and his teammates did just that.
What I’m saying is that he’s a fellow who draws fan interest. Frankly, he puts butts in seats. That’s the whole point.
Mr. Culpepper, if you read this, good luck to you. Do what you know is right for you, and you will never have any regrets. Thanks for the entertainment you have provided me with, and I hope to see you in some team’s uniform sometime soon.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
daunte doesn’t sound unreasonable, i’d like to see him back where he started, minnesota
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August 29th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
good call florio
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Nice comments from all the “free marketeers”…
…carry on Duante!
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
i dont believe daunte wrote that letter. maybe the segment in bold, but theres no way he wrote that.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
The inference at the end of the open letter appears to be that racism has curtailed his career. That seems to be openly rebutted by the very nature of what happened in PIT, given that the other QB that was signed was also black, Byron Leftwich. While not a GM, one also has to presume that Mike Tomlin, PIT’s coach, also influenced the choice between Leftwich and Culpepper.
Even without an agent Culpepper was likely told what Leftwich was offered. Instead of countering or offering concessions, something was communicated in response by Culpepper to make PIT elect Leftwich over him. Both are NFL QBs with starter records, but Culpepper clearly has the better resume, so there appears to be a reason or several why PIT picked Leftwich over CPep that had nothing to do with the color of the QBs’ skin.
I am not sure if Daunte wrote the open letter or not, but I cannot imagine it has not hampered his potential future dealings with other NFL teams. Why deal with a QB that can write and have open letters published on prominent websites? Isn’t that itself inherenly risky?
Sometimes it is better to speak less than more. Daunte has not come to grips that he is not on an active roster. Apparently, he believes open letters to the NFL are the way to go. I am betting the NFL disagrees. Only if there is a crippling injury to a starter at this point and there is no viable backup on that team as well as in this class of free agents will he have a spot on a roster this year.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
August 29th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Folks, like him or not Daunte’s inferno still has flame. At minimum he’d make a pretty damn good verteran back-up QB. As a Viking fan I can tell you it was fun watching him play. You cannot deny that Culpepper to Moss combo platter was one of the best for several years.
It’s too bad that so many teams bitch out of one side of their mouth about scum sucking agents, but still prefer them over speaking directly with the player. I’ll never get that. Player negotiators may not be the norm but it’s no reason not to talk with a guy.
Alas, Daunte may be done. But I don’t think so. I think he’s got something left. Hang in there Daunte you’ll get your chance.
Oh and “Empty 13″ dude. That “pullpecker” comment was cold. Absolutely frickin funny as hell, but still cold.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)