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As initially reported by St. Paul Pioneer Press beat writer Sean Jensen, Daunte Culpepper has confirmed that the team has tried to trade him and requested the organization release him if it can't find a partner.

"Now that I have confirmed that the Vikings have been seeking to trade me, I have asked for permission to speak to the interested teams. The Vikings have denied my request," Culpepper said in a statement e-mailed to the Pioneer Press on Wednesday. "If a trade does not happen, then I am asking the Vikings to terminate my contract as soon as possible."

Culpepper sent the same message -- also via e-mail -- to ESPN and other media outlets.

Culpepper said that he appreciated Vikings owner Zygi Wilf saying that he would pay his $6 million bonus.

"However, because of the fundamental differences I have with management regarding the approach to my personal and professional life, I think it is the best business decision for both parties to go our separate ways," Culpepper said.

For some reason, he then softened his message by saying that if the team didn't honor his request, "then I intend to fulfill my contractual obligations to the Minnesota Vikings."

That last sentence, of course, takes considerable bite out of his demand.

In a brief phone interview with the Associated Press today, Culpepper said he had been angered by a recent e-mail he received from the team. He didn't elaborate on the contents of the e-mail.

But as Jensen pointed out, the primary issue remains money.

In May 2003, Culpepper signed a 10-year, $102 million contract that was technically one of the five-largest in NFL history. But Culpepper's deal was loaded with non-guaranteed salaries and special-teams incentives he would never earn.

Wilf gave Culpepper a $4 million signing bonus last August and another $3.5 million due 14 days after the start of this league year. Coupled with a $2.5 million bonus he was scheduled to get as part of his original deal, Culpepper was set to receive $6 million on March 22 (pushed back from the original March 17 date by the ongoing labor negotiations.

In a statement to the media in February, Culpepper said that he had offered to move his roster bonus to another date to help the Vikings sign more free agents under the salary cap -- though the team is projected to have plenty of room.

"If I am not traded, I want to help coach [Brad] Childress make a serious run for the championship this year," Culpepper said.

However, both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Pioneer Press reported that Wilf told reporters at the NFL scouting combine he planned to pay Culpepper the bonus.

When he was asked if Culpepper figures in the team's 2006 plans, Wilf said "That is our plan, yes. Always was."

Still, the Vikings have been trying to find a trade partner. Potential suitors, however, have been reluctant to make offers because they suspect the Vikings might outright release him before that bonus is due and fearing the severity of Culpepper's injury.

Culpepper damaged three of four ligaments in his right knee against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 30, and he missed the remainder of the season.

Downplaying the trade speculation, Childress asserted that he plans to have both Culpepper and Brad Johnson on the team this year at quarterback.

"That's the mindset," Childress said at the combine. "I don't know anything to the contrary."

The injured quarterback, who tore three ligaments in his right knee in an Oct. 30 game and has been rehabilitating in his native Florida, said last month that he told Wilf he wasn't happy with what he's been reading in the news -- and what he hasn't been hearing from the club.

"I shared my disappointment with the lack of communication and the false reports about me demanding more money coming out of Minnesota," said Culpepper, who let go of his agent in January and has been representing himself.

Childress acknowledged that the team has had inquiries about Culpepper.

"That's what goes on this time of year," he said.

But the coach diverted his comments toward Culpepper's knee. He's projected to return for training camp, but that's not a guarantee.

"He's three months out of a major surgery," Childress said. "Before we do anything, we're going to get him back to health.

"All my talk with the trainers is about getting him back to the level of play he was at in 2004," he said.

But as noted in last Sunday's Fantasy Notebook, Childress and Culpepper have butted heads and there are clearly problems with their relationship.

As for the knee. ... Childress sent new trainer Eric Sugarman to Florida the last week of February and to obtain a first-hand assessment of Culpepper's progress. The trainer reported that Culpepper is on schedule, and Childress said it wasn't out of the question that Culpepper could participate in some non-football drills during spring mini-camp.

And while it's easy to assume the team's positive report is an attempt to reassure those who might be interested in trading for him, sources close to Culpepper have told NFL Network insider Adam Schefter the veteran signal caller is going to be completely recovered from his knee injury and that he continues to rehab with "freakish" intensity.

According to Schefter, Culpepper appears obsessed to return to the form he had in 2004, not 2005, and is doing what he can during his workouts to ensure this. He already is doing footwork drills on land.

In the meantime, it's hard to imagine Culpepper's "non-ultimatum ultimatum" -- "trade me, release me or I'll fulfill my obligations" isn't an especially threatening message -- will change his status with the team. But it's a clear indication that his frustration is growing.