With the 50th overall pick, a second-round selection, in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals selected defensive lineman Calais Campbell out of the University of Miami. In 2024, Campbell returned to South Florida, signing a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. For his 18th season, he will once again be making the move from Florida to Arizona.
According to multiple media reports, and confirmed by Cardinals reported Darren Urban, Campbell and Arizona have agreed to a one-year contract. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added the new deal is with a base value of $5.5 million, with incentives that can increase it to $7.5 million.
Campbell spent the first nine years of his career with Arizona, earning two Pro Bowl appearances and two Second-Team All-Pro selections during that span. He moved in 2017 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he played three seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl all three years, along with being named a First-Team All-Pro. He played the 2020 through 2022 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, earning a Pro Bowl selection in his first year there. In 2023, he had a one-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons before last season with the Dolphins.
In seventeen seasons played, Campbell has appeared in 261 games, starting 242 of them, with 110.5 career sacks, 917 tackles, three interceptions, 23 passes defensed, 18 forced fumbles, and 13 fumble recoveries with three returned for touchdowns. Along with his six Pro Bowls, one First-Team All-Pro, and two Second-Team All-Pro selections, Campbell was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s. He was the Pro Football Writers of America Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and was named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2019.
He started all 17 games in Miami in 2024, recording five sacks, 52 tackles, five passes defensed, and a forced fumble. His contract was a $2 million deal, with incetives that escalated it to $3.1 million.
The Dolphins had hoped for Campbell’s return in 2025, but will now be looking to fill a massive hole on their defensive line.
