Vikes Dis George, Sign Brister

The Minnesota Vikings anointed Daunte Culpepper their starting quarterback after giving up on Jeff George and agreeing to terms with backup Bubby Brister.

Coach Dennis Green said he wanted to re-sign George, who was 9-3 as his starter last year, but decided to withdraw a modest one-year offer the quarterback left on the table for almost a month.

"We couldn't agree to terms," Green told The Associated Press. "We just couldn't get a deal done. So we had to cut ties."

Green said he had no ill feelings for George, who was beckoned from the bench in Week 6 last year to replace Randall Cunningham and guided the Vikings into the playoffs.

"Jeff did a solid job for us and we gave him an opportunity to come back," Green said. "We thank him for his fine work here and wish him the best in his future."

George's agent, Leigh Steinberg, said just 90 minutes before the Vikings cut ties with George that his client wanted to return to Minnesota, where he flourished with Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Robert Smith.

Now that there are no starting jobs available, George might sign with Washington, which is offering him a reported two-year, $4 million deal to back up Brad Johnson. Or he might choose to wait until this summer to see if injuries create any openings elsewhere.

Brister will sign a one-year, $500,000 deal to back up Culpepper, the Vikings' top draft pick last season out of Central Florida.

"When you have a good young talented quarterback, you'd like to have a good, seasoned veteran backing him up," Green said. "We went with a good, veteran player who can step in if he has to. He showed that in Denver, helping them win back-to-back Super Bowl championships."

Brister, 37, asked for his release from Denver last week.

"We've got a lot of respect for Bubby because of what he did for Denver," Green said. "What this means is that Daunte Culpepper is going to start for us."

Brister, once the heir apparent to John Elway, won't mind backing up the second-year pro, agent Jim Steiner said.

"Bubby's really excied about it. It's a great opportunity for him," Steiner said. "He had a great conversation with Denny Green. I think he and Denny Green will get along really well. He's a really likable guy."

A source close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Vikings offered George a $500,000 contract, slightly more than the league minimum for a 10-year veteran, with $1 million more available in incentives. George wanted more than a one-year deal.

George signed a one-year, $400,000 contract last year and made about $1.1 million in incentives after replacing Cunningham and guiding the Vikings into the playoffs, where they beat Dallas and lost to St. Louis.

George expected the Vikings to offer a multi-year deal, but Green instead offered the starting quarterback job back to Cunningham, who refused a massive pay cut and will likely be waived June 1.

Green then offered the job to Dan Marino, who retired instead, and then insisted Culpepper would be his starter in 2000.

Green then relented, saying George could sign a one-year deal for minimum money and start in 2000 while serving as a mentor to Culpepper, whom the Vikings chose ahead of Jevon Kearse in the draft.

Either way, Green insisted Culpepper was the franchise's future.

Steinberg said that was a sticking point in negotiations.

"Let's suppose Jeff takes them to the Super Bowl next year. Who's the quarterback for the year after?" Steinberg said.

Now it's a moot point.

It's Culpepper's job and Brister is the backup.

Brister was waived March 29 by the Broncos. He led the Broncos to a 4-0 record as a replacement for Elway during the 1998 Super Bowl-winning season, but was benched last exhibition season in favor of second-year quarterback Brian Griese.

Brister has played with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the New York Jets and Denver in 14 seasons.

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