Calais Campbell: Return to Cardinals "just made a lot of sense"

Way back in 2008, the Cardinals selected Calais Campbell in the second round of the draft.

Now after an eight-season absence, Campbell is back with the team that employed him for nine years to start his career.

Campbell, who recently signed a one-year deal with Arizona, was reintroduced to the media on Thursday. The 38-year-old defensive lineman joked he feels “every one” of his 17 seasons as he embarks on his 18th. But he also noted that it means a lot to be back where his NFL career began.

“Bringing back a lot of memories, that’s for sure,” Campbell said in his press conference. “Even just walking through the building, so many memories poured out of me. This is where I got my start. This is the team that believed in me and gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. And here we are all these years later and they still believe in me, are still giving me the opportunity to live out my dream. I’m one of those guys who loves this game so much. I kind of have to wake up and pinch myself, like is this real? I still get to play football.

“But I feel like I’m still good at it, still dominant. And I feel like I can really help this team. A lot of talent all over the place and I feel like the value I can bring is going to make a big difference — at least I hope so. So, [I’m going to] roll up my sleeves, get my hands dirty, and do the best I can.”

Campbell added that while he always had love in his heart for the Cardinals, he didn’t seriously start considering the possibility of a return until midway through the 2024 season.

“At the trade deadline, they were one of the teams that tried to trade for me,” Campbell said. “And so, it started getting in my head, ‘Dang that would be cool to go back to Arizona.’ And then this offseason, a lot of teams were interested, but when we got talking about all the possibilities and stuff, this one just kept coming up.

“It just made a lot of sense and I’m happy to be here.”

Campbell has played all 17 games in each of the last two seasons. In 2024, he recorded 5.0 sacks with 12 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, and five passes defensed for the Dolphins. He was on the field for 58 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps.