Campbell re-signs with two-year deal
Defensive end could earn up to $16.5M
The Ravens announced Saturday that they have re-signed veteran defensive end Calais Campbell to a two-year deal.
Campbell’s deal is worth $12.5 million but he can earn as much as $16.5 million with incentives, according to multiple reports.
During the NFL scouting combine last month, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he would “love” to bring back Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
“I have a lot of admiration for Calais as a person and as a player and as a leader. So, I’m hopeful that we can bring him back,” DeCosta said. “I’d love to bring him back. He’s a guy that plays winning football, and he does as much for the team and the organization in the building as he does on the field, and so I have a lot of respect for him.”
Campbell, 35, recorded 49 tackles in 15 games last season. He had just 1 ½ sacks, but he still ranked among the NFL’s most double-teamed defensive linemen and helped anchor one of the league’s best run defenses.
Before re-signing, Campbell considered retirement. However, his new contract sets him up to finish his career in Baltimore while he attempts to chase his first Super Bowl ring. Campbell told The Baltimore Sun before the 2021 season that his pursuit of a Super Bowl title is “the main reason why I am still playing.”
Before hitting free agency in March, Campbell announced at the end of Sky Sports’ telecast of Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13 that he’s “definitely not retiring” this offseason.
“I watch this game, and the feeling I have right now after seeing them celebrate the Super Bowl championship, I have a desire to go out there and play football and to compete,” Campbell said from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where he covered the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Campbell’s deal comes a day after the Ravens re-signed veteran inside linebacker Josh Bynes to a one-year deal, addressing a pair of offseason needs.
During Campbell’s 14-year NFL career, he has totaled 773 tackles (556 solo), 93 sacks, 161 tackles for loss and 14 forced fumbles. A second-round pick in the 2008 NFL draft, Campbell played for the Arizona Cardinals and Jacksonville Jaguars before being traded to the Ravens for a fifth-round pick in 2020.
Campbell, the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner, has played in 27 games for the Ravens, totaling 77 tackles and 5 sacks.
With Campbell returning and freeagent defensive tackle Brandon Williams still unsigned, the Ravens’ defensive front currently consists of him, nose tackle Michael Pierce, defensive tackles Justin Madubuike and Derek Wolfe, outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and Tyus Bowser and inside linebackers Bynes and Patrick Queen. Wolfe, Bowser and Oweh are coming off injuries.