Calais Campbell’s Contract Details Help Explain Why He Chose Falcons Over Jaguars

Campbell signed a one-year deal that could be worth up to $9 million.

It is a bit easier to understand now why Calais Campbell won't be a Jacksonville Jaguar in 2023.

Campbell shocked many in the Jaguars' fan base earlier this week when he opted to sign a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons over the Jaguars and a handful of other interested teams. But with Campbell's contract details being released on Friday, the situation makes a bit more sense.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons signed Campbell to a deal with $7 million guaranteed and with the potential to reach $9 million. 

Considering the Jaguars have just $10,008,522 in available cap space and still need enough money to sign their 2023 draft class, it makes sense why the Jaguars were potentially outbid for Campbell's services.

The #Falcons have now officially announced the signing of Pro Bowl DL Calais Campbell, giving him a 1-year deal worth a base salary of $7M fully guaranteed that can get to $9M with incentives, source said. A substantial investment at a key spot.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 31, 2023

This isn't to say this means the Jaguars didn't want Campbell -- the comments made by head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke at this week's owners meetings in Phoenix suggested they badly wanted Campbell as a Jaguar. 

But for now, it appears cash still rules when it comes to free agency, and other teams have more to spend than the Jaguars.

“Obviously, he’s a player that was here at one point in time in his career, had a great experience in Jacksonville. We’re certainly going to compete for that, to bring him back,” Baalke told the Florida Times-Union this week.

"I think the best thing for everybody was to let him go out and visit his other options," Baalke said. "And I've always respected the player in these situations because it's a big decision ... we agreed to revisit it when he got done with his meetings and we got back from the owners meetings."

Campbell has spent the last three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens after the Jaguars traded him for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 offseason.

Campbell, who turns 37 on Sept. 1, was released by the Ravens this offseason and would not count against the team's compensatory picks for 2024.

Campbell appeared in 41 regular season games for the Ravens over the last three seasons, recording 14 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, nine pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. This included 5.5 sacks in 2022.

First signed by the Jaguars in the 2017 offseason, the veteran defensive lineman immediately became a key piece of the defense and helped lead Jacksonville to the team's AFC Championship game in his first season. His 14.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 2017 earned him a Pro Bowl bid and a first-team All-Pro honor.

Campbell made the Pro Bowl in every season he played in Jacksonville, totaling 31.5 sacks, 44 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles. In 2019, Campbell recorded 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.