Net Worth Ranker
What Is Daunte Culpepper’s Net Worth?
Daunte Culpepper, a retired American professional football quarterback, has an estimated net worth of $500,000. Despite earning $35 million in NFL salary throughout his career, financial difficulties emerged shortly after his retirement, including the foreclosure of a property. While Culpepper was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, he opted not to pursue a baseball career.
Daunte Culpepper’s NFL Career and Earnings
Culpepper’s professional football career began after playing at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he set numerous school quarterback records, approximately 30 in total. He was drafted as the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. During his time with the Vikings, Culpepper was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. In the 2004 season, he achieved a single-season record for the most total yardage produced by a quarterback in NFL history, totaling 5,123 yards. However, a knee injury in the following season led to the end of his Vikings career.
After leaving the Vikings, Culpepper played for the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and Detroit Lions. His career NFL passer rating is 87.8, ranking 14th all-time. His 2004 season passer rating of 110.9 ranks as the seventh-best single-season passer rating. He also played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions in the United Football League (UFL). “Football Nation” ranked him #45 on its list of the “Top 100 Modern Quarterbacks” in 2012.
During his 11 seasons in the NFL, Daunte Culpepper earned $35 million in salary. His highest-paid season was 2005, when he received $9 million from the Vikings. At the end of the 2002 season, Daunte signed a 10-year contract with the Vikings, potentially worth $102 million. However, he only earned around $20 million from this contract due to his injury in 2005 and subsequent trade to the Dolphins in 2006.
Financial Challenges and Real Estate
In 2006, Daunte Culpepper purchased a 9,800 square foot mansion in Florida for $3.67 million, financing the purchase with a $2.93 million mortgage. In February 2013, Sun Trust Bank foreclosed on the property, and a $3 million debt was forgiven after Daunte surrendered the home a few months later. In January 2013, Daunte paid $450,000 for a home in Ocala, Florida, which appears to be his primary residence today. Specific details about the address of either property are not publicly available.
Early Life and Education
Daunte Rachard Culpepper was born on January 28, 1977, in Ocala, Florida. His biological mother, Barbara Henderson, was incarcerated for armed robbery while pregnant. His uncle is Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, a former NFL linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins. Culpepper was adopted by Emma Lewis Culpepper, who raised over 15 children and worked at the correctional facility where Barbara was being held. Specific details regarding Emma’s position at the correctional facility are not available.
Culpepper attended Vanguard High School, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He was named Florida’s Mr. Football in 1994 after his senior season. In 2007, he was selected to the Florida High School Athletic Association’s All-Century Team, which listed the 33 best high school football players in the state’s history. In the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft, Culpepper was drafted by the New York Yankees (730th overall), but he decided to attend college instead.
Due to low SAT scores, Daunte initially faced difficulties gaining college admission. After receiving tutoring from the University of Central Florida (UCF), he achieved the necessary scores. Despite recruitment efforts from larger programs, he chose UCF out of loyalty. During his time at UCF, Culpepper broke approximately 30 of the school’s quarterback records. He also broke a 15-year-old NCAA record with a 73.6% single-season completion percentage. He surpassed both the 1,000-yard rushing mark and 10,000-yard passing mark, a feat achieved only twice before in the NCAA.
By the end of his college career, Daunte Culpepper was ranked sixth on the NCAA all-time total offense list with over 12,000 yards and was responsible for over 100 touchdowns. After his junior year, he considered entering the NFL draft but chose to complete his senior year at UCF. That season, the team had a 9–2 record. There are no official records of any name given to the UCF football field.
Professional Career Details
During the 1999 NFL Draft, Daunte Culpepper was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round as the 11th overall pick. In his first year with the team, he played in only one game, rushing three times for six yards. He became the starting quarterback in 2000, leading the team to win the season’s first seven games. The Vikings ended the season with an 11–5 record and advanced to the NFC Championship, where they were defeated by the New York Giants 41–0. During that season, Daunte passed for over 3,900 yards and 33 touchdowns and was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Culpepper faced challenges during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, with the team finishing the 2001 season with a 5–11 record. He started in 11 games, completing at least 60% of his passes in nine of those games, but missed the last five games due to a knee injury. He was ranked third among quarterbacks for rushing total, behind Kordell Stewart of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles. During the 2002 season, Daunte threw 18 touchdowns, and the team finished with a 6–10 record. His rushing record was the highest among all NFL quarterbacks and the sixth-highest by an NFL quarterback in history.
He appeared on the cover of the video game “Madden NFL 2002” that year. During the 2003 offseason, he won the EA Sports Madden Bowl title. In 2003, Culpepper led the team to a 9–7 record, passed for 25 touchdowns and nearly 3,500 yards, and was selected for the Pro Bowl again. In 2004, he had his best NFL season, leading the league with 4,717 passing yards. His 39 touchdowns were a Vikings record, and the team made it to the playoffs that season. Daunte was also named to the Pro Bowl again. He broke Dan Marino’s combined passing and rushing yards record, with 5,123 total yards. Between 2000 and 2004, Culpepper rushed 2,323 yards, making him the fourth NFL quarterback to surpass 2,300 rushing yards in a five-season period. His career rushing average was 26.1 yards per game, the fourth-best average among NFL quarterbacks.
During the 2005 season, Daunte injured his knee in an October game against the Carolina Panthers, damaging three ligaments, and was placed on the injured reserve list. In December 2005, he and three other players were charged with disorderly conduct, indecent conduct, and lewd or lascivious conduct for their involvement in the “Minnesota Vikings boat cruise scandal.” The charges were dropped in April 2006. Following his desire to leave Minnesota, Culpepper was traded to the Miami Dolphins. In November 2006, he had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage from his previously injured knee and was placed on injured reserve. Daunte requested to be released from his contract in June 2007 and subsequently signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders the following month. He injured his quadriceps around Week 13 of the season and was placed on injured reserve again. He announced his retirement in September 2008 but signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions a few months later. Culpepper injured his shoulder after four games, and the team didn’t win any games that season.
In June 2010, he signed with the United Football League team the Sacramento Mountain Lions and was named UFL Offensive Player of the Week twice that season. Daunte was placed on the protected players’ list in April 2011, and in August, it was announced that he had been working out for the San Francisco 49ers. However, the 49ers decided to sign Josh McCown instead.
Personal Life and Recognition
Daunte Culpepper married his high school sweetheart, Kimberly Rah, on July 6, 2002. They have four children together. Specific details regarding the names and dates of birth of his children are not publicly available.
In 2001, Culpepper received the Ed Block Courage Award and the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award. In 2003, he won the Extra Effort Award and received the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award in 2003 and 2004. Daunte was named Week 4 AFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2007 and Week 2 United Football League Offensive Co-Player of the Week and Week 7 United Football League Offensive Player of the Week in 2010. No specific monetary or material rewards for these awards are publicly available.
