Calais Campbell Playing Like 2026 Is His Last Season

‘I always tell myself, and this year I feel as strongly as ever, that this is probably going to be my last year,’ Campbell said.

Calais Campbell #93 of the Baltimore Ravens talks to the media after Baltimore Ravens Mandatory Minicamp at Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Maryland, on June 9, 2026. Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell said on June 9 that he has played as long as he has purely for the love of the game.

Campbell signed with the Ravens for his 19th season; he turns 40 on Sep. 1. At a press conference at Ravens OTAs, he said he knows at some point it will be time to hang up his cleats. While he has been saying it for several years now, he admitted that this season is probably his last.

“I get—probably—asked that almost every day, from a bunch of players, coaches, staff, fans, my family,” Campbell said when asked why he continues to play. “Everybody’s asking, ‘Why you keep doing this?’ And I think the only answer I could really say is that I love the game. I love it, I’m still fairly good at it, and they still want me to play. So it’s like, why not, you know?”

Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals out of Miami in 2008, Campbell spent his first nine seasons with the team before signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017. After three seasons in Jacksonville, he was traded to the Ravens. He played three seasons in Baltimore. After that, he spent one season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 and one with the Miami Dolphins in 2024. He returned to the Cardinals in 2025, then to the Ravens this offseason.

“I always tell myself, and this year I feel as strongly as ever, that this is probably going to be my last year,” Campbell said. “I know I said that last year and the year before, I genuinely [meant] it at the time, but I always tell myself to play well enough to be able to get a job again if I want to. So, if I go out there and perform to the level I want to play, then I’m probably going to have to turn somebody down next year. And that’s the ideal scenario. ... And then at that time we'll decide if I want to play again or not. But as of right now, I’m playing as if this is my last year.”

Campbell said returning to a team was a big factor in his decision to keep playing. He said he has been in contact with Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta since he left; he tried to trade for Campbell multiple times. With this in mind, Campbell was glad the two sides finally made it work.

Besides DeCosta, Campbell is also reuniting with head coach Jesse Minter—who served as defensive backs coach in Campbell’s first year with the Ravens in 2020—and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who was Campbell’s defensive line coach for his entire time in Baltimore and as DC in his year with the Dolphins. Campbell noted “a lot of new faces in new places,” but was grateful to have a similar defense to what he has run in previous years.

He complimented Minter in particular as “a football junkie” with whom he was always impressed by his depth of knowledge and passion for the game.

He recounted talking football with both Minter and now-Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald in casual conversations over lunch or during team travel, and said he knew at the time they would be great coaches. He added that he was grateful to Minter for bringing him along to help build a culture.

Campbell was also asked about trying to finish his career with a championship. Campbell appeared in Super Bowl XLIII with the Cardinals in his rookie season and made deep playoff runs with the Cardinals in 2015 and the Jaguars in 2017.

He is well aware of just how difficult it is to make it to the big dance, let alone win one. He said he tries not to worry about it too much because there are too many variables involved in winning a championship, and he tries to focus on playing with a “championship mindset.” While he did not say it flat out, he indicated that the Ravens could be a contender.

“When you see a lot of things that fit into the puzzle, you’re like, ‘Well, you know, there’s a chance.’”