Dolphins coach Nick Saban and general manager Randy Mueller flew to Birmingham, Ala., to meet Brees and try to convince him to make a visit to Miami Sunday. The Saints also tried to sign him and still have a good chance.

Though the Chargers are still holding their last offer for Brees, there is virtually no chance he will consider it. Once Brees left the Chargers this week, he started looking for his new home.

After Brees makes his visit to the Dolphins, his future should be settled by Sunday night.

The Dolphins seem to be using Sunday as their main day to make the final determination on their big quarterback move of the offseason. With the Titans and Raiders out of the trade bidding for Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, the Dolphins are the lone team still left in the mix.

Though the Dolphins are unwilling to give up a second-round choice for Culpepper, they still are a player for him. One of Saban's many quick shuttles on the plane Saturday was to see Culpepper. They have several players in for visits in Miami Saturday, but Saban was away and told them that his priority was settling the quarterback situations.

On Sunday, the Dolphins have to either come up with a contract for Brees or make a trade for Culpepper.

Big Easy money: Panthers linebacker Will Witherspoon has an offer worth at least $11.5 million on the table from the St. Louis Rams, but he is expected to leave St. Louis and make a quick visit to New Orleans. With $16.9 million of room and more coming with the eventual release of quarterback Aaron Brooks, the Saints are considered big players in the early market, which is why Witherspoon and Drew Brees are on the first wave of Saints visits. The Panthers want to re-sign Witherspoon, but it's possible that he could command as much as $5.5 million a year and more than $11.5 million to sign.

Back-up plan: The backup quarterback market is picking up. Chris Weinke re-signed with the Panthers on a three-year, $4.5 million deal. The Steelers are wrapping up a three-year deal with Charlie Batch that should be worth $1.2 million a year. That deal should be completed Sunday.

Right guard: The Vikings will start to work on the beginnings of an offer sheet for Seahawks Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson. Though he's a guard, Hutchinson could command offensive tackle dollars. The Seahawks would have seven days to match any offer. The top guard salary in the NFL -- Larry Allen of the Dallas Cowboys -- is $6.1 million a year. If Hutchinson signs an offer sheet with the Vikings, it could be much more than that. It's not out of the question for the offer to go as high as $7 million.