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In a terse press release issued Tuesday afternoon, the Dolphins officially cut ties with Daunte Culpepper, releasing the embattled, injury-plagued quarterback with a single sentence -- and without further comment.

It brings the former Pro Bowler's short run in South Florida to an abrupt end wrapping up what had became a contentious split between the player and the team.

Culpepper said his attorneys were told by the Dolphins on Monday night that he would be released, and the veteran formally became a free agent.

"As I was going through this process I heard about a quote by Gandhi that best expresses my thoughts about this victory: 'First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win,"' Culpepper, who serves as his own agent, said in an e-mail to the Associated Press. "Now that I have won my freedom and I get to choose my next team, I am just like many other people who have to go out and find employment so that I can take care of my family."

As the AP recounted, Miami tried for weeks to trade Culpepper, the former Minnesota star who was acquired before the 2006 season even though he was coming off major knee surgery. Culpepper never regained his form last year, struggling in four games before the team shut him down so he could continue rehabilitating the knee.

A grievance filed by the NFL Players Association on Culpepper's behalf against the Dolphins was scheduled to be heard Wednesday, after the team told Culpepper he couldn't fully participate in off-season practices.

That move came shortly after Miami traded with Kansas City for quarterback Trent Green, who's expected to be the new starter for the Dolphins.

As Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio suggested following the announcement, it's safe to assume the grievance will not proceed considering the goal was to force the franchise to allow Culpepper to participate in team drills during training camp, which opens July 28.

Now, of course, all the speculation about Culpepper's future suddenly becomes much more interesting.

"I just hope that there is still a team or two out there that has an opportunity for a hard working quarterback who is willing to come in and contribute wherever needed," Culpepper, who has medical clearance to practice, told the AP today. "I am ready to get into a training camp so that I can prepare for the 2007 season."

That being the case, the center of attention immediately shifts to Jacksonville, where the Jaguars have made no secret about their interest in Culpepper.

Soon after the Dolphins acquired Green, the Jaguars held an organizational meeting to evaluate Culpepper, who had his best campaigns in Minnesota under then Vikings head coach and current Jaguars assistant head coach Mike Tice.

The Jaguars even told their top two quarterbacks, Byron Leftwich and David Garrard, about their interest in Culpepper. Surprisingly enough, neither Leftwich nor Garrard seemed especially concerned about such a move last month.

Leftwich -- at least publicly -- seemed to embrace it.

"Any time you have a quarterback the caliber of Daunte Culpepper, any time you can add a guy to your roster of that caliber, as an organization it's smart to look into that," Leftwich said on June 13. "Especially with me having one year left on my contract, that's not a bad business move if you were to look at it from that point. I have no problems with it, no problems whatsoever."

As Pro Football Weekly noted, Leftwich is the No. 1 quarterback heading into training camp no matter what, but his relationship with head coach Jack Del Rio is as shaky as ever. And as Leftwich was quick to point out, he only has one year left on his contract and the Jaguars have not offered him an extension.

However things ultimately shake out, adding Culpepper to the mix would certainly make things interesting this summer.

That possibility prompted the Sports Xchange to wonder: "Would the team trade away solid backup Garrard and possibly leave itself vulnerable at the position should Leftwich walk next year and Culpepper doesn't rebound from last year's injury-plagued season?"

That Jacksonville's passing offense (which finished ranked 24th) let the club down too many times last season adds to the intrigue.

Indeed, Florida Times-Union beat man Michael C. Wright suggested last week that if the Jags acquire Culpepper, we should expect a training camp battle for the starting quarterback position.

Before we get too far out in front of this one, let's remember that Culpepper's release and the Jaguars' interest are the only certainties at this point. I'll remind you, however, that in 84 games as an NFL starter, Culpepper has completed 64.2 percent of his passes and thrown for 21,091 yards and 137 touchdowns.

It's safe to assume other teams will take a closer look now that he's available.

Florio, citing an unnamed league source, reported last month that Culpepper could be eyeballing the Green Bay Packers as his next NFL landing spot.

As Florio explained, if such a move actually came to pass, Culpepper would be a candidate to serve as the backup to starter Brett Favre and could then be the guy to succeed Favre when he retires. He would then get a chance to battle the Vikings -- his original team and the first to give up on him -- twice annually.

Other possibilities?

ESPN.com insider John Clayton suggested the Ravens and Rams might be among those interested.

The Baltimore Sun noted last month that the Ravens wouldn't be the leading candidate to sign Culpepper if he was released, but they have not eliminated the possibility.

Still, the Rams might make more sense.

After all, Culpepper's greatest success as a pro came while working under current Rams head coach Scott Linehan, who as offensive coordinator of the Vikings oversaw a unit that ranked No. 1 in 2003 and No. 4 in 2004 with Culpepper leading the way.

And as Florio pointed out this afternoon, with Rams starter Marc Bulger hinting at a possible holdout, Linehan might be more willing to consider the possibility of bringing Culpepper in with a one-year deal aimed at protecting the franchise against the worst-case scenario with Bulger, whose financial expectations surely have increased after the Colts rewarded Dwight Freeney with a whopping six-year, $72 million contract (that includes a $30 million signing bonus) last week.

All that said, my money still remains on the Jaguars -- at least for now. But those interested will want to say tuned. I'll undoubtedly have more on Culpepper in coming days.