The Cardinals have been working on building their defensive line all offseason and are adding the piece that not only will invigorate the unit but also the fan base.
Veteran Calais Campbell, who spent the first nine years of his career in Arizona after the Cardinals drafted him in the second round in 2008, has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the desert on Tuesday.
On Instagram, Campbell posted a photo of himself holding up a conference championship towel as a rookie after beating the Eagles in the 2008 playoffs. In the caption, he wrote "What a story it would be! Started my career with a bang. Now it's time to finish it with a bang back home where it first began!"
The contract is reportedly worth $5.5 million, with a maximum value of $7.5M.
Campbell, who will turn 39 in September, started all 17 games for the Dolphins in 2024. He did the same for the Falcons in 2023, and in his 17-year career, the durable Campbell has missed only 15 games.
The 6-foot-8, 305-pounder was a rookie for the Cardinals' Super Bowl team in 2008. He piled up 56.5 sacks, 42 pass deflections and eight forced fumbles in 138 games in Arizona. He made the Pro Bowl his last three seasons with the Cardinals, and was named second-team All-Pro twice.
He left as a free agent in 2017, with the Cardinals mistakenly thinking Robert Nkemdiche would be able to fill his role. Campbell made the Pro Bowl all three seasons with Jacksonville — including a first-team All-Pro — before playing with Baltimore for three seasons (with another Pro Bowl) ahead of his move to Atlanta. Since leaving the Cardinals, Campbell has another 54 sacks.
For the Dolphins in 2024, Campbell had five sacks and 12 tackles for loss playing 58 percent of the defensive snaps - work that despite his age made him a valuable addition to Nick Rallis' defense.
Campbell joins a defensive line that just got a big upgrade with free agent Dalvin Tomlinson to go with veterans Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols and L.J. Collier as well as draftees Darius Robinson and Dante Stills.
