Miami Dolphins DL Calais Campbell expected to sign with Arizona Cardinals for 18th NFL season

Calais Campbell will not be playing with the Miami Dolphins this fall, but he is not done playing in the NFL. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the veteran defensive lineman is expected to sign a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

Rapopport noted that the contract is worth $5.5 million with a max value of $7.5 million. The Cardinals announced the signing on Tuesday afternoon.

Calais Campbell is no stranger to the Cardinals, as he was drafted by the team in the second round in 2008. The 38-year-old spent nine seasons with the Cardinals and was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro Second Team twice during that span.

During his time in Arizona, Campbell notched 56.5 sacks, three interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and eight fumble recoveries. He then spent three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and one season with the Atlanta Falcons before joining the Dolphins last year.

Calais Campbell has put together a Hall of Fame career

In his career, Campbell has tallied 110.5 sacks, 187 tackles for loss, 18 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries. He has been named to the Pro Bowl six times, selected to the All-Pro Team three times and is a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team.

Before the final game of the 2024 season, Campbell talked about possibly retiring from the NFL. “That definitely is going to be the thought process,” he said, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I will say that I’ve felt that way before, too, so this is not my first time feeling that way. So it doesn’t mean I’m definitely going to retire, but you have to have that mindset, because, at the end of the day, I don’t know. And I want to make sure that, if this is my last game, I make it worthwhile.”

This week, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talked about how he wanted to have Calais Campbell back with the team. “Calais specifically is in a unique situation where he is assessing multiple options as a player in the 45th year of his career,” McDaniel said jokingly, per Sports Illustrated. “So I understand and there’s a lot at play with regard to, all right, so your play is high, you decided to play another year; he’s assessing those options. He was a very important player to the team last year, and I see him having the opportunity to be a very important player on the team this year.