Falcons DL Calais Campbell speaks on departure from Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens saw defensive lineman Calais Campbell depart for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2023 offseason. Baltimore cut Campbell to save around $7 million in cap space, and weren't able to retain him as he left for the NFC.
Campbell's loss will be a big one both on and off the field for Baltimore, but the Ravens will now turn to young players such as Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington at the position. On a recent episode of "The Crew" with Josina Anderson and Clarence Hill, Campbell, 36, dished on his exit from Baltimore, saying that the team expressed that they would have loved to have him back, but they couldn't make it work financially, especially after they put the non-exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson in March.
"I knew it was a possibility," he said of being let go. "It was one of those things where I play good football still, definitely wasn't just about my ability to play football, but they have some young beasts. ... It was just one of those things where eventually I knew it might happen and with Lamar's situation having the franchise tag, they said, obviously, they would love to have me back. (General manager) Eric DeCosta made it clear that he would love to have me back, but with the current situation, we just couldn't make it happen with the cap situation."
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Despite leaving a franchise that wanted him, the six-time Pro Bowler was pleased with how the Falcons saw him fitting into their team. Last season, Atlanta finished 7-10 at the bottom of the NFC South and they haven't made the playoffs since 2017. But Campbell said he's bought into general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach head coach Arthur Smith's vision
"When it came down to it, I really liked the way Atlanta really wanted to use me and the way I saw what they were building," he said. "I guess when it came down to it, I like the spot that nobody really expects, but I know from my studies and the research I put in, this team's gonna be built for a chance to make a run at it."
Paste BN Sports' Victoria Hernandez contributed to this story.