Campbell's Eye-Opening Contract

The veteran defensive lineman joined the Miami Dolphins on a one-year contract that clearly showed his motivations.

Calais Campbell runs onto the field prior to a Baltimore Ravens game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium in 2021. / Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Calais Campbell didn't mention money when he described this week his reasons for joining the Miami Dolphins, which wasn't surprising because NFL players rarely talk about money being a motivating factor.

But in Campbell's case, it most definitely was true that money didn't play any sort of role in choosing the Dolphins over what he said were "quite a few teams" that were interested in his services.

The proof came when the details of Campbell's contract became public Friday via overthecap.com and spotrac.com and showed his one-year deal being worth $2 million, with a base salary of $1.2 million that's the league veteran minimum. Campbell also got a $795,000 signing bonus.

Campbell's cap number for 2024 will be $2 million, the 29th-highest among Dolphins players.

One would think Campbell could have gotten more considering his performance with the Atlanta Falcons last season when he started all 17 games, had 56 tackles and 6.5 sacks and was the 23rd-ranked edge defender by Pro Football Focus and made $7 million.

CAMPBELL'S REASONS FOR JOINING THE DOLPHINS

But Campbell clearly was concerned with more than financial considerations.

“That’s a big reason why I signed here, because I feel like there’s a really good opportunity here," Campbell said during his Zoom media session this week. "Very talented team all over the field, both offense and defense. When you go through the roster of who you have and see so many people that I feel like we can play together and build that team chemistry you need – we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. I really like the coaching staff. I mean, (Defensive Coordinator) Anthony Weaver is a guy I’m very familiar with, (have) a lot of respect for, and he’s a big reason I really believe in this team. I know the kind of work ethic he has and just the kind of man he is, and I really think this defense is going to be a top – I don’t want to go too crazy, but it’s going to be a really good defense.”

Asked later how big a role in his decision the presence of Weaver and his understanding of the defense played, Campbell doubled down.

 “Huge. Huge, because I definitely had quite a few teams interested," Campbell said. "I feel like the main reason why I wanted to come here was because I really believe in who Anthony Weaver is as a coach and in our relationship. We talked a lot during the process and just knowing that he knows what I’m capable of doing. He understands my mind and how I see the game, and he trusts me. At this point in time in my career, every time you build relationships, you have to kind of reestablish trust. You have new people that you’re interacting with. They’ve got to kind of get to know you, who you are. Now because of my pedigree and how long I’ve been in the league, it happens usually fast, but with somebody like ‘Coach Weave,' he knows I’m never going to try to hurt the team. I’m always going to be in position to try to do what’s best for the team, but I take calculated risks sometimes and play with different technique sometimes, but everything is calculated.

"So we had those conversations when we were working together in Baltimore of like, ‘This is how I want to play it this week.’ It was never like some spur-of-the-moment, just do what you feel. Every once in a while, you trust your instincts or whatever but most of the time it was calculated. It was planned. But just that belief and trust that he’s going to allow me to do the things I know are going to make me be successful and this team be successful.”