Veteran Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell confirmed Sunday night after Super Bowl LVI that he is not retiring.
Campbell was part of the Sky Sports broadcast in the United Kingdom, so he watched the Los Angeles Rams celebrate their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium.
"Oh yeah, I'm not retiring," Campbell said. "I watched this game. The feeling I have right now after seeing them celebrate a Super Bowl championship, I have a desire to go out there and play football and to compete. So I'm definitely not retiring; I'm coming back."
Campbell has made it clear how badly he wants to win a Super Bowl before he retires. He goes to all lengths to try to get there, but Baltimore's widespread injuries derailed what looked to be a promising shot at it in 2021.
Campbell just completed his 14th NFL season. He'll turn 36 just before next season kicks off.
However, Campbell still played at a high level for the Ravens this season. He was Baltimore's highest-graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus, registering 49 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was a big reason why the Ravens finished the year as the league's top run defense.
Campbell is a pending unrestricted free agent, but General Manager Eric DeCosta said he talked to Campbell after the season ended and will do so again. The Ravens want to get younger on their defensive line, but Campbell would help make that transition if he played another year in Baltimore.
"I really admire Calais as a leader [and] as a player," DeCosta said. "He still plays at a high level and has a great attitude. He's great for the younger guys."
Campbell is 6.5 sacks away from the 100-sack milestone. He would love to hit that milestone, but walking away from the game like Eric Weddle did Sunday night after un-retiring would be the perfect ending for Campbell.
Campbell talked about the high level of talent at quarterback in the AFC, including Lamar Jackson, the Bengals' Joe Burrow, Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Bills' Josh Allen.
"It's wide open," Campbell said. "I can't wait to be a part of this. I love playing football. … I really hope to get here [to the Super Bowl] one day, but either way, I'm going to go out there, play the game the way it's supposed to be played, leave it all on the field, enjoy myself, and hopefully when it's all said and done I'll have a piece of jewelry that says I'm a world champion."
