Calais Campbell Says 2026 Will Likely Be His Last Season but Expects to Play Well Enough to Draw New Offers
The 39-year-old re-signed with Baltimore on a one-year deal and needs five more games to break the NFL record for games played by a defensive lineman.
ESPNBaltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell said after Tuesday's minicamp practice that his 19th NFL season will likely be his last. "I always tell myself -- and this year I feel it as strongly as ever -- that this is probably going to be my last year," Campbell said. 5 million deal.
He first contemplated retirement after the 2021 season and has played four seasons since. Campbell has appeared in 278 games and has not missed one since 2022. He needs five more appearances to surpass Jim Marshall for the most games played by a defensive lineman in NFL history.
"To be able to go out there and play more games than everybody else [at the defensive line position] is like, 'Wow, it's mind-blowing,'" Campbell said. Campbell is set to become the sixth defensive player since 1960 to play in the NFL after turning 40. The five others are Jim Marshall, Junior Seau, Darrell Green, Bruce Smith and Clay Matthews.
Campbell has 117 career sacks, which rank fourth-most among active players and 34th on the NFL's all-time list. "I always tell myself to play well enough to be able to get a job again if I want to," Campbell said. "If I go out there and perform to the level I want to play, I'm probably going to have to turn somebody down next year.
