Culpepper Traded, Pending Physical

The Vikings have agreed to a trade in principle, sending Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins.

The Minnesota Vikings have traded quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round pick, pending Culpepper passing a physical.

The Vikings confirmed reaching a trade in principle with the Dolphins, but declined to discuss further details. Scout.com has confirmed that the second-round pick will come in the 2006 draft.

Culpepper is coming off a serious knee injury in which he tore three of the four ligaments in his knee on Oct. 30 while being tackled by Carolina’s Chris Gamble. During his physical, the Dolphins would be looking for a level of comfort in Culpepper’s rehabilitation before completing the trade.

If the deal is completed, Culpepper will have ended his Vikings career with 20,162 yards on 1,678 of 2,607 passing for a completion percentage of 64.4 percent. He threw 135 touchdowns, 86 interceptions and was sacked 228 times for a passer rating of 91.5. He also rushed for 2,476 yards on 454 attempts, a 5.5-yard average, and 29 touchdowns.

He ranked third in NFL history for fewest games (80) needed to reach 20,000 career passing yards, trailing Dan Marino and Peyton Manning.

Culpepper’s 2005 season was marred by a poor start, throwing 12 interceptions and six touchdowns, before his knee injury ended his season seven games into the 2005 campaign.

The quarterback carousel went into high gear Tuesday, with quarterback Drew Brees agreeing to a six-year deal with the New Orleans Saints and Jon Kitna signing on with the Detroit Lions.

The Vikings will likely be in the market for a veteran backup, and that could be Green Bay Packers free agent Craig Nall, who met with the Vikings yesterday. Nall, who was a third-stringer in Green Bay, is looking to move up to the No. 2 quarterback on an NFL team. If Culpepper passes his physical, Nall might have that opportunity in Minnesota.

Other possibilities on the free agent market include Brian Griese (Tampa Bay), Josh McCown (Arizona) and Kerry Collins (Oakland), along with former Viking Jay Fielder, among others.

NOTE

Scout.com has also learned the Oakland Raiders have reached a one-year contract agreement with former Vikings guard Toniu Fonoti on Tuesday. He'll receive a base salary of $585,000 and $415,000 in bonuses for a total of $1 million.