New deal for Patrick Mahomes brings back bad Vikings memories

Back in 2003, the Minnesota Vikings signed Daunte Culpepper to his own massive extension.

In 2003, Daunte Culpepper was coming off of his fourth season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. During his first four years with the team, Culpepper led the Vikings to one appearance in the NFC Championship while also establishing himself as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL.

After the 2002 season, the Minnesota signal-caller was entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. Culpepper could’ve potentially become a free agent in 2004, but the Vikings decided to prevent that from happening by rewarding him with a lucrative contract extension.

In May of 2003, Minnesota and their top quarterback agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $102 million. The Vikings were confident Culpepper had what it took to deliver the franchise its first-ever Super Bowl win.

The Minnesota Vikings eventually regretted the deal with Daunte Culpepper

On Monday, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a massive 10-year extension worth more than $450 million. Not only is it the richest contract in NFL history, but it’s the richest deal in the history of professional sports.

Including the two remaining years left on his rookie contract, Mahomes could end up making over $475 million by the time his new deal expires in 2032.

For the Chiefs, they will be hoping this contract with their young quarterback works out better for them than it did for Minnesota when they gave Culpepper his 10-year extension in 2003.

After his deal was extended, the Vikings quarterback did end up actually improving his performance on the field during his next two seasons.

In 2003 and 2004, Culpepper earned a pair of trips to the Pro Bowl and during the 2004 season he threw for 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns. Both marks are still Minnesota franchise records.

But then came 2005 and Culpepper’s knee decided it didn’t want to work for a full season. He ended up missing nine games that year due to tearing ligaments in his knee and little did anyone know, his time in purple was about to come to an end.

Culpepper eventually grew tired of his time with the Vikings and he requested a trade during the 2006 offseason. Minnesota was able to find a buyer and the quarterback was shipped out to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

So after signing his mega-deal in 2003 with the Vikings, Culpepper went on to last just two and half more seasons with the team before he was dealt. It was an unfortunate ending to a career in Minnesota that seemed like it had a very bright future after his very first year as the team’s starting quarterback in 2000.