Pepp to Pack?

It's been more than 18 months since Daunte Culpepper suffered a career-threatening knee injury. Rumors circulated for months that he was no longer in the Dolphins' plans -- rumors that proved true. A recent rumor has Culpepper returning to the NFC North -- but not with the Vikings.

The Daunte Culpepper saga took yet another ironic twist as his name has surfaced on the rumor mill with another team – no other than the border rival Packers. Green Bay, which was thought to be making a serious run for Randy Moss – to the point that Brett Favre made pre-draft guarantees that he would be a Packer and was clearly miffed when that didn’t happen – is now allegedly waiting out the Dolphins releasing Pepp. That process was thought to be something the Dolphins could delay until the start of training camp, but in light of Culpepper’s recent car accident, the Dolphins brass may not want to take any chances on a guy they have no intention of keeping being damaged goods on their watch while still under contract.

As the rumor has gained legs, the idea is that Culpepper could spend all of 2007 rehabbing his ailing knee while Brett Favre played his final season. Then in 2008, a healthy Culpepper would compete with Aaron Rodgers for the starting job.

The second twist of irony is that Packers now join the Jaguars as teams that are rumored to be interested in signing Culpepper – who also now serves as his own agent. Jacksonville, of course is where Mike Tice is an assistant head coach. Tice and Culpepper always had a good working relationship and, if not for Tice, Jacksonville may not be in its current condition. The Jaguars drafted current starter Byron Leftwich with a pick that was supposed to be the Vikings' slot on the botched draft-day trade that allowed the Jags and Panthers to jump in front of the Vikings. With their pick, the Jags took Leftwich, who was going to be traded to the Ravens for a flop of high picks and a third-rounder thrown in, wherein the Vikings would move down, still get Kevin Williams and stockpile a pick.

Leftwich has just one year left on his contract and, with injuries and inconsistency, more Jags fans like running QB David Garrard as the better option.

Whether Culpepper lands with the Jags, Packers or someone else won’t play out until after he’s officially released by the Dolphins. When that happens, we’ll find out what rumors are true and what rumors are just blowing smoke.

MONDAY MORNING QB NEWS
* Former Vikings QB Mike McMahon has found employment, surviving the cut with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
* Lions QB Jon Kitna has predicted a 10-plus win season for Detroit this year. That’s pretty tough talk for the team with the worst winning percentage this decade, even worse than the two expansion teams that have been added within the last 10 years. Good luck with that prediction. The Lions have barely had more than 10 wins over the last three seasons combined.