Calais Campbell just wanted to be able to make his own decision.
"I've always tried to play well enough where I have a choice," the defensive lineman said late last season.
Campbell did that in his 18th NFL season, well enough that the veteran will play a 19th, albeit reportedly in Baltimore with another of his former teams, the Ravens. He will be 40 when the season begins, and barring something unforeseen, will break the NFL record for games played by a defensive lineman.
Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort, asked about Campbell's return this season at the conclusion of the draft, said Campbell had "earned the right" to wait and see what his best situation might be. One of the most popular players in franchise history, Campbell was the Cardinals' best defensive lineman last season.
"The first thing I feel is a badge of honor, that I can still do it, I can still hang with the young guys," Campbell said with a smile in December. "And then I feel old. I feel old."
Campbell wanted the ability to have teams still be interested in him for 2026, and he did so, completing his year with 17 starts, 6½ sacks, nine tackles for loss and two blocked kicks. It was a continuation to the first nine years of his career, when he starred for the Cardinals after being drafted in the second round in 2008.
It was Campbell's 15th season of at least five sacks, joining Hall of Famers Bruce Smith, Julius Peppers and Reggie White.
But his return was also in part about hoping to ride the Cardinals' trend upward toward the postseason, and that did not come to pass. Now he makes a similar return to Baltimore, where he played from 2020-2022.
Campbell is currently third all-time in games played for a defensive lineman, at 278 just short of Smith (279) and Jim Marshall (282) and should fly past those totals. Campbell has only missed 15 games in his 18 seasons.
Campbell has 117 career sacks, 196 tackles for loss, 18 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries (three for touchdowns), three interceptions, and three safeties. He has made six Pro Bowls, was first-team All-Pro once and second-team All-Pro twice. His first season with Jacksonville in 2017, he had 14½ sacks and was second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
He blocked 10 field goals in his career, and added an extra-point block in 2025.
After playing for the Jaguars from 2017-2019, Campbell had stints in Baltimore (2020-2022), Atlanta (2023), and Miami (2024) before returning to Arizona, a place where his family lives and where he still has a great fondness.
"When you get drafted to a team and you are part of an organization and a community, football is a beautiful game because people get behind you," Campbell said late last season. "The whole community is attached to the team. It's a good feeling to be part of that.
"I can create good plays that brings joy to people, and that means a lot to me."
