Calais Mark Campbell, 36-year-old Former Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell has agreed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta FalconsAgrees After 3 seasons with the Ravens
According to Ian Rapoport, The Falcons officially announced the signing of Pro Bowl DL Calais Campbell and gave him a 1-year deal worth a base salary of $7M fully guaranteed that can get to $9M with other incentives.
Having spent the past three great seasons with Baltimore after being traded to the franchise in March 2020 from the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Ravens released Campbell on the 13th of March to save $7 million in cap space for 2023.
Campbell had an impressive first season in Baltimore, posting four sacks, six pass breakups, 28 tackles, five tackles for a loss and 10 quarterback hits in 12 games en route to a Pro Bowl selection.
However, Campbell's production scooped in 2021, as he posted 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, 49 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and 12 quarterback hits in 15 games. He followed that up with 5.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 36 tackles, four tackles for a loss and 14 quarterback hits in 14 games last season.
Campbell saw his first playing time at Miami in the 2005 season. In the 2006 season, he had 55 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, four passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He recorded at least three sacks in a single game on three occasions in the 2006 season. In his final season with the Hurricanes in 2007, he had 50 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, three passes defended, and one interception, which came against Marshall in the season opener.
On July 24, 2008, the Arizona Cardinals signed Campbell to a four-year, $3.40 million contract with $1.68 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $484,500.
During his three years with the Ravens, Campbell posted 113 tackles, 11 sacks, 36 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. In 2020, he earned Pro Bowl honors and was named the NFL's 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award winner during this past season.
When decision time came for Campbell, four proposals emerged - two reigning playoff teams in the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, another on the verge of landing MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and then, the Atlanta Falcons, fresh off consecutive 7-10 seasons and no postseason appearances in five years.
Earlier before reaching his decision, Calais Campbell had a 40-minute phone call with Arthur Blank, American businessman and owner of the Atlanta falcon, the two discussed leadership, charitable efforts, and how Campbell thrives in the community. Of course, the non-football call helped seal the deal.
Goodbye to Baltimore
Calais Campbell took to his Instagram handle to say a heartwarming goodbye to his former team members “I am honored to have spent the last three years of my career here. The people inside the building are what make it special,”
Although Calais Campbell had several options, he bought into the vision of Atlanta coach Arthur Smith and GM Terry Fontenot as a result, of plenty of optimism surrounding Atlanta's defense, Campbell believes he can play a part in turning that off-season buzz into a strong product on Sundays.
Campbell told ESPN "It came down to where I felt like I could have the biggest impact both on and off the field."
It's no surprise that he landed with the Falcons, as the franchise was one of the first he visited as a free agent.
With Campbell now off to a new destination, the Ravens will be turning to Justin Madubuike and Brent Urban at the defensive end position.
Although the Falcons have not tried to court Jackson or land another big-name quarterback Campbell, however, should be a solid contribution to his new team Atlanta Falcons bringing more flexibility and experience on defense as it looks to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.