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DAUNTE UPDATE
The Vikings spent much today on the phones, finalizing a deal for quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

As of 7 p.m. ET, it was difficult to pinpoint where Culpepper is headed.

But it's not difficult to pinpoint where he's not.


A Sunshine State native, Daunte Culpepper starred at the University of Central Florida.
He's not being traded to New Orleans. A Saints official said the team is not in the running for Culpepper, and New Orleans will push hard for Brees.

A Raiders official said Oakland never made an offer to Minnesota, even though the two sides spoke. The Raiders official said the team is absolutely out of the Culpepper sweepstakes.

The Baltimore Ravens are not interested in Culpepper, and likely will be pursuing Kerry Collins.

Late today, a Jets official confirmed his team won't pursue Culpepper.

Unless some team is lying -- and the teams mentioned above were adamant in their responses -- that leaves the Miami Dolphins as the only team that has admitted to being in the market for a quarterback.

Culpepper probably would be thrilled at the idea of returning home to Florida. He would be happy, the Dolphins likely would be happy, and the Vikings would be happy.

Now we wait to see if this bit of sense makes reality.

COLLINS CUT
Now the questions surround Collins' future.


Kerry Collins was sacked a career-high 39 times last season.
The Ravens will have an interest, as they are committed to getting a veteran quarterback to challenge Kyle Boller. It is not expected that Baltimore's personnel guru Ozzie Newsome would move immediately on Collins, a team official said. But it is worth pointing out that Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel once used Collins to get to the Super Bowl. The marriage makes sense, like a Culpepper-Dolphins marriage.

But Collins' Raiders career ended when the Raiders finally terminated his contract, freeing him to sign with another team. The two sides had discussed a restructured contract over the past couple of weeks, but could not come to any type of agreement.

In the end, the Raiders decided to go with their young quarterbacks, Marques Tuiasosopo and Andrew Walter, whom Oakland drafted in Round 3 last year. Plus, Oakland holds the draft's No. 7 pick, where it is expected to have a chance to draft one of the three top-rated quarterbacks.

But cutting Collins had nothing to do with the Raiders' interest in Culpepper.

AIR SNYDER
When midnight strikes, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder will have his jets fueled up and ready to depart across the country to pick up free agents Washington desires.


If you look to the skies this weekend, you might see one of Daniel Snyder's planes.
"The pilots," Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato said on NFL Total Access, "will be on standby."

Those thought to be on Washington's hit list include San Francisco free agent defensive end Andre Carter, St. Louis safety Adam Archuleta, San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, Kansas City quarterback Todd Collins and Baltimore defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu.

The Redskins sense they are close to getting to the next level, and a solid free-agent class could make the difference. Snyder knows it, Joe Gibbs knows it, and now the team is going to act on it.

It would surprise nobody if, on the opening weekend of free agency, even with their salary-cap issues, the Redskins make the biggest splash. Don't they always at this time of year?

BIG MONEY
Denver defensive tackle Gerard Warren is nicknamed "Big Money." By March 11, he is expected to justify it.

By then, the Broncos are expected to have agreed with Warren on a new multi-year contract that will keep the former No. 3 overall draft pick in Denver for coming seasons. The two sides were putting the finishing touches on the deal, which would enable Denver to keep the one player it did not want to get away.

The Broncos considered Warren the most productive performer of all the defensive linemen they acquired last spring from Cleveland. The two sides have been talking contract for weeks, but today, they talked deal -- and the art of making one.

KIMO SABE
When the free-agent market opens, two of the hottest players out there will be defensive tackles who answer to "Kimo."

The first Kimo is Baltimore's free-agent defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu and the second is Pittsburgh's free-agent defensive tackle Kimo Von Oelhoffen.

Kemoeatu was thought of so highly in Baltimore that many in the Ravens organization considered retaining him the team's top free-agent priority, even ahead of signing players such as running back Jamal Lewis and defensive lineman Anthony Weaver.

Other teams have noticed Kemoeatu. Those expected to make the biggest push to sign the massive run plugger are the Miami Dolphins, the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Redskins, though Baltimore had not abandoned hopes of re-signing their defensive tackle.

As for Von Oelhoffen, the player who is known for injuring Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, the New York Jets are expected to make an effort right away to sign him. The Jets need a player like Von Oelhoffen to help shore up their run defense. Cleveland and San Francisco also will consider signing Von Oelhoffen.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9298528