CULPEPPER’S “RESTRUCTURING” DIDN’T REALLY CHANGE HIS CONTRACT

For a little while there, the Lions’ front office had us fooled into thinking that they’d actually done something shrewd, jamming a reduced deal down the throat of a quarterback who is acting without an agent. But, alas, the truth has emerged. And the same old Lions have struck again. Recent news of a “restructuring” of the final year on quarterback Daunte Culpepper’s contract created the impression that the team had squeezed him into taking less money in lieu of being cut. Indeed, team president Tom Lewand said on Tuesday that the $2.5 million roster bonus due to be paid on February 27 had been removed. Per a league source, Lewand technically is right. The $2.5 million roster bonus due to be paid on February 27 is gone. In its place? A $2.25 million roster bonus. Due on February 28. What about the extra $250,000? It has been moved to a workout bonus. So instead of receiving $2.5 million on February 27, Culpepper will now receive $2.25 million one day later. And he’ll make up the difference if he participates in the team’s voluntary offseason program. So why in the hell did they do it? In our view, the goal was to make it look like they guys who got promotions in the wake of an 0-16 season have done something to justify them. If they have, Culpepper’s new contract sure isn’t evidence of it. UPDATE: Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com has a different take on the Culpepper contract. As far as we can tell, the league and the union have conflicting information about the contract. The same thing occurred last year as to Culpepper, when the union’s version of the deal omitted reference of any kind to the $1 million incentive payment based on participating in five percent of the snaps on offense and reaching one of four individual or team performance triggers.