Aaron Rodgers Tried to Steal Ravens Ex Calais Campbell Before Falcons Signed?

The Atlanta Falcons beat Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in the free agency sweepstakes for former Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 21, 2023

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Baltimore Ravens

Everyone wanted a piece of former Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell, but the Atlanta Falcons proved to be the lucky ones in his free agency sweepstakes, signing a one-year deal with the veteran defensive end.

Among those contending for Campbell's services were the New York Jets, whose offseason has been defined by a verbal commitment - not a contract nor trade - with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Despite that, Rodgers tried recruiting Campbell - who was cut by the Ravens on March 13 after three years with the team - to the Jets before signing with the Falcons.

"It was kind of crazy because Aaron Rodgers texted me and he's like 'come on man, let's go win a championship together.' It was appealing having Aaron Rodgers text you talking about winning a Super Bowl together, but when it came down to it, I just had this gut feeling that Atlanta was a special place and the value I could bring would be most effective there," Campbell told CBS Sports.

Rodgers has already done a fair amount of recruiting for the team he has yet to join himself. The Jets signed former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard in free agency and could look to bring more of Rodgers' buddies if and when he officially joins the team.

As for the Ravens, they might've dodged an AFC bullet. Had Rodgers convinced Campbell to come to New York, Baltimore would've potentially had its hands full with two of the league's top veterans for future matchups in coming seasons.

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Published Apr 21, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.