Quarterback Daunte Culpepper signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Lions, but we've always viewed his 2008 arrival as his tryout for 2009.
The structure of his deal, reported by ESPN's John Clayton and other media outlets, verifies that belief. Culpepper stands to earn up to $1.4 million for the remainder of this season, but that number will jump to at least $5 million in 2009 if he remains with the team.
Most important, the Lions must pay Culpepper a $2.5 million roster bonus at the start of free agency next spring. (He also has a $2.5 million base salary for 2009.) The Lions will either have to pay that bonus or release him, but it's a decision they must make well before the start of the 2009 regular season. They'll have only his 2008 performance, along with a scouting report on potential alternatives, with which to make a decision.
UPDATE: Culpepper's first start, expected to be Sunday against Jacksonville, won't be seen by many people. The game will be blacked out on local television in the Detroit area, the second consecutive blackout at Ford Field. About 6,000 seats remain.
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Kevin Seifert
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and daughter.