Calais Campbell Loves Football at 39 but Expects 19th NFL Season With Ravens to Be His Last
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Calais Campbell is back in Baltimore for his 19th NFL season, and he’s the first to admit he’s said this before, but he thinks it might finally be his last.
The 39-year-old defensive end re-signed with the Ravens this offseason, returning to a team he played for from 2020-22. Six Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections, and more than $150 million in career earnings later, Campbell is still lacing up his cleats, and still producing.
“This year, I feel as strongly as ever that this is probably going to be my last year. I know I said that last year and the year before. I genuinely mean 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.”
He’s been here before. Campbell made a similar declaration ahead of last season, when he returned to the Arizona Cardinals – the team that drafted him and where he played in a Super Bowl as a rookie after the 2008 season. That felt like a natural ending. It wasn’t.
The question he keeps getting – from teammates, coaches, fans, even his own family – is why. Why keep going at 39?
His answer is straightforward.
“Everybody’s just like, why you keep doing this? I think the only answer I can really say is I love the game. I love it. I’m still fairly good at it. And they still want me to play. So why not?”
It’s hard to argue with that logic. Campbell has started virtually every game of his career – all but one since his rookie year – and he’s posted five or more sacks in each of the last four seasons. Teams aren’t signing him out of sentiment; he’s still getting after quarterbacks at an age when most players have been retired for years, per The Athletic.
He also left the door open on Tuesday, making clear that retirement isn’t guaranteed even now.
“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. That’s the ideal scenario. At that time, I’ll decide if I want to play again or not.”
There’s one thing missing from Campbell’s resume despite everything he’s accomplished. He appeared in a Super Bowl as a rookie in Arizona, but he’s never won one. Now he’s joining a Ravens team that’s trying to get Lamar Jackson his first Lombardi Trophy – and a potential championship run could make for a fitting final chapter for Campbell if Baltimore gets there.
He’s chasing a ring. The Ravens are chasing history. For now, at least, that’s reason enough to keep playing.
