Calais Campbell

Early life

Campbell played his high school football at South High School in Denver, Colorado. Widely regarded as one of the nation's top defensive end prospects, he was ranked as the tenth-best strongside defensive end by Rivals.com and the seventh-best defensive end by Scout.com. He amassed a state-record total of 57 sacks in his career at South High School.

In addition to football, Campbell also starred on the school's basketball team; averaging 22.7 points (fourth best in Colorado), 16.0 rebounds per game (led the state) and 3.3 blocks per game, he was an All-State basketball selection as a junior. Campbell also competed in track and field at South, qualifying for the state meet in the discus and shot put in 2003. His track and field personal bests: 21 feet (6.4 m) in the long jump, 48 feet (15 m) in the shot put, 135 feet (41 m) in the discus and 44 feet 2 inches (13.46 m) in the triple jump.

Campbell chose Miami over Colorado State, Nebraska, Louisiana State, Michigan, Oklahoma, and San Diego State.

College career

After redshirting his first season in 2004, Campbell became a starter at Miami in the 2005 season. In 11 games, he recorded 24 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defensed. In the 2006 season, he had 55 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, four passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. He recorded at least three sacks in a single game on three occasions in the 2006 season. In his final season with the Hurricanes in 2007, he had 50 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, three passes defensed, and one interception, which came against Marshall in the season opener.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals (first stint)

The Arizona Cardinals selected Campbell in the second round (50th overall) of the 2008 NFL draft. Campbell was the sixth defensive end drafted in 2008. The Cardinals had no immediate need for a starting-caliber defensive end, but chose to make a value pick and draft Campbell after he unexpectedly fell out of the first round and was considered the top player available at the time of their selection.

On July 24, 2008, the Cardinals signed Campbell to a four-year, $3.40 million contract with $1.68 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $484,500.

Campbell entered training camp slated as a backup defensive end and competed against Bryan Robinson and fellow rookie Kenny Iwebema for a spot in the rotation. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt officially named Campbell a backup defensive end to start the regular season, behind veterans Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith.

Campbell made his professional regular season debut in the Cardinals' season-opener at the San Francisco 49ers and assisted on a tackle in their 23–13 victory. The following week, Campbell collected a season-high four solo tackles in the Cardinals' 31–10 victory against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. During Week 16, Campbell tied his season-high of four solo tackles during a 47–7 loss at the New England Patriots.

Campbell completed his rookie season with 28 combined tackles (23 solo), a pass defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and zero starts.

The Cardinals finished atop the NFC West with a 9–7 record and qualified for a playoff berth in 2008. On January 3, 2009, Campbell appeared in his first NFL playoff game and made two combined tackles during a 30–24 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football Conference (NFC) Wild Card Round. The Cardinals reached Super Bowl XLIII after defeating the Carolina Panthers 33–13 in the NFC Divisional Round and defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 32–25 in the NFC Championship. On February 1, 2009, Campbell appeared in Super Bowl XLIII and recorded two combined tackles as the Cardinals lost 27–23 in a closely contested match that was decided by with 0:35 remaining in the game. Campbell finished the playoffs with eight combined tackles (seven solo) and a pass deflection.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 9, 2017, the Jaguars signed Campbell to a four-year, $60 million contract that includes $30 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $6 million.

Head coach Doug Marrone chose to move Campbell back to defensive end and named him the starter to begin the regular season, opposite Yannick Ngakoue. Campbell and Ngakoue joined defensive tackles Malik Jackson and Abry Jones.

Campbell started in the Jaguars' season-opener, against the Texans, and recorded six combined tackles and made a career-high four sacks on quarterback Tom Savage in a 29–7 road victory. Campbell's four sacks set a franchise record and the defense also set a franchise record with a combined ten sacks. His performance earned him American Football Conference (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week honors. During the course of the season, the Jaguars' defense earned the moniker "Sacksonville". In Week 13, Campbell brought his sack total to 12.5 sacks, which set a Jaguars franchise record for most sacks in a season. During Week 12, Campbell returned to Arizona to face his former team and recorded three solo tackles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown as the Jaguars were defeated by the Cardinals 27–24 in Week 12. During the fourth quarter, Cardinals' quarterback Blaine Gabbert was stripped by Yannick Ngakoue and Campbell was able to recover the ball and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown. On December 17, 2017, Campbell made five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and two sacks during a 45–7 victory against the Houston Texans. The game marked his fourth multi-sack performance of the 2017 season. The following week, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 44–33 loss at the 49ers in Week 16. On December 19, 2017, Campbell was voted to the 2018 Pro Bowl, which became his third Pro Bowl selection.

Campbell finished the season with 67 combined tackles (47 solo), a career-high 14.5 sacks, three pass deflections, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts. He was named The Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year.

The Jaguars finished atop the AFC South with a 10–6 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 7, 2018, Campbell recorded six combined tackles during a 10–3 victory against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Game. The Jaguars went on to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 45–42 in the AFC Divisional Round before being eliminated from the playoffs after losing 24–20 at the Patriots during the AFC Championship Game. He was ranked 14th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

On March 19, 2020, the Jaguars traded Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2020 fifth-round pick originally acquired from the Falcons. Shortly after the trade, Campbell signed a one-year contract extension.

In Week 2 against the Texans, Campbell recorded his first sack as a Raven on Deshaun Watson during the win. In the Ravens' Week 6 win over the Eagles, Campbell was credited with four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and sacked Carson Wentz three times. As a result, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Ravens on November 25, 2020, and activated on December 5, 2020. He was named to the Pro Bowl.

In Week 5 against the Colts, Campbell blocked Rodrigo Blankenship's field goal and recovered late in the fourth quarter, helping the Ravens continue their rally as they were down by eight points at the time. The Ravens would win the game 31–25 in overtime. In the 2021 season, Campbell appeared in and started 15 games. He finished with 49 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one pass defensed, and 12 quarterback hits

On April 9, Campbell re-signed with the Ravens on a two-year deal worth $12.5 million. In Week 14, Campbell blocked a field goal in a 16–14 win over the Steelers, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In the 2022 season, Campbell appeared in and started 14 games and finished with 5.5 sacks, 36 total tackles (18 solo), two passes defended, and two forced fumbles.

On March 13, 2023, Campbell was released by the Ravens.

Atlanta Falcons

On March 29, 2023, Campbell signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 6 against the Washington Commanders, Campbell recorded his 100th career sack. In Week 9, Campbell sacked Joshua Dobbs in the end zone to record a safety in the 31–28 loss to the Vikings. In the 2023 season, Campbell finished with 6.5 sacks, 56 total tackles (32 solo), one pass defended, and one forced fumble.

Miami Dolphins

On June 18, 2024, Campbell signed with the Miami Dolphins. In the 2024 season, Campbell finished with five sacks, 52 total tackles (35 solo), and five passes defended.

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On April 1, 2025, Campbell signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the team that originally drafted him, the Arizona Cardinals. In the 2025 season, Campbell finished with 6.5 sacks, 43 total tackles (23 solo), and two passes defended.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On May 6, 2026, Campbell officially signed a one-year contract worth $5.5 million with $4.75 million guaranteed and a $2 million signing bonus with the Baltimore Ravens.

Career statistics

Career highlights

Awards and honors

NFL

Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2019)

PFWA NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2017)

First-team All-Pro (2017)

2× Second-team All-Pro (2014, 2016)

6× Pro Bowl (2014, 2015, 2017–2020)

Pro Bowl Defensive MVP (2019)

NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

NFLPA Alan Page Community Award (2024)

Art Rooney Award (2022)

Bart Starr Award (2019)

100 sacks club

6× NFL Top 100 — 99th (2015), 71st (2016), 83rd (2017), 14th (2018), 54th (2019), 79th (2020)

3× AFC Defensive Player of the Week: (2017, Week 1), (2019, Week 3), (2020, Week 6)

AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 14, 2022)

NFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 2, 2012)

NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 2, 2009)

College

First-team All-ACC (2006)

Jaguars franchise records

Most sacks in a game (4)

Personal life

Campbell was born in Denver, Colorado, to Charles and Nateal Campbell. He was raised with seven siblings. He has two sisters, Kimba Blaylock and Keyonne Campbell, and five brothers: Jamar, Raj, Ciarre, Severin, and Jared. His father, Charles Campbell, died in late 2003. Jared Campbell, a touring stand-up comedian, also played football with Calais at both University of Miami and Arizona Cardinals as a defensive back. His brothers Ciarre and Raj played college football at Colorado State and Butte Junior College, respectively. His brother Severin played at the University of Montana. In December 2007, Campbell graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in sociology. On January 21, 2015, it was announced that Campbell had given $1.6 million to the Hurricanes to establish an endowed scholarship for defensive linemen in perpetuity at the University of Miami. He appeared on the first episode of seventh season of The League, appearing with former teammate Tyrann Mathieu. On June 30, 2026, Campbell's mother, Nateal was reported dead. Police identified the suspect as her son and Calais's brother, Ciarre, who dealt with schizophrenia.

Charitable work

On November 28, 2022, Campbell partnered with Campbell's Chunky to donate 5,000 Campbell's products to the Maryland Food Bank as part of the "Chunky Sacks Hunger" campaign.

2024 traffic stop

On September 8, 2024, hours before the Miami Dolphins were set to begin their season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tyreek Hill was pulled over by officers outside of the Dolphins stadium while he was on his way to the game. Video, which was filmed by fans, was instantly released to social media where it quickly made national news. The video showed Hill being detained in handcuffs and forced to the ground by three officers who were on top of him holding him down. It was alleged that the situation escalated after Hill refused to obey the orders from the officers. Campbell, Hill's teammate who was also driving to the game, stopped and got involved in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Campbell got out of his car with his hands up above his head and approached the scene, informing officers that he was a friend of Hill's. He remained at the scene to “support” Hill after he said officers asked him to leave. Police later placed him in handcuffs for “disobeying a direct order" by being too close. “They were trying to yank him down to the ground. I saw them kick him and pull him down ... I feel like one officer was pushing on his head” Campbell said to ESPN. One of the officers was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Hill was cited with two traffic citations and was free to leave while Campbell wasn't cited. Both played in that afternoon's game, a 20–17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.