Defensive lineman Calais Campbell will not be returning to the Arizona Cardinals in 2026. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Campbell is not retiring after 18 NFL seasons. He will play a 19th, returning to the Baltimore Ravens.
He played for the Ravens from 2020-2022, making the Pro Bowl once.
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Campbell will be 40 years old when the season begins.
He signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals last season, believing that perhaps he could compete for a Super Bowl in what could have been his last season, just as the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl in his rookie season in 2008.
The Cardinals were bad, going 3-14, but Campbell showed he can still play. He started all 17 games last season and finished with 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks (second on the team), nine tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits and two tipped passes.
He has now had four consecutive seasons with at least five sacks since turning 36. He has 117 career sacks. He is 34th all-time in sacks.
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The 2025 season didn’t work out competitively for the Cardinals or Campbell, but he proved that he can still play and gets to choose whether his NFL career continues, which many players don’t always get to do. Their careers often end because teams stop wanting them.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Former Arizona Cardinals DT Calais Campbell to rejoin Baltimore Ravens