Calais Campbell intends to play next season, and General Manager Eric DeCosta wants the Ravens to benefit from that decision.
DeCosta has been in touch with Campbell since the 35-year-old defensive lineman decided to delay his retirement at least one more year. Campbell is a pending free agent and DeCosta is hoping the Ravens will re-sign him.
"We have exchanged text messages," DeCosta said. "I don't want to speak for Calais, but I asked Calais, I basically said, 'Listen, if you want to play, I'd like you to let me know at some point because we thought you had a good year, you are a good player.'
"I have a lot of admiration for Calais as a person and as a player and as a leader. I'm hopeful that we can bring him back. We'd love to bring him back. He's a guy that plays winning football and he does as much for the team and the organization in the building as he does on the field. I have a lot of respect for him."
Campbell had 49 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season and played at a high level. He was Baltimore's highest-graded defensive player by Pro Football Focus and was a key reason why the Ravens finished the year as the league's top run defense.
The former NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year will likely draw interest from several teams. Former Ravens edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who played with Campbell in Jacksonville and is now with the Raiders, has already begun courting Campbell on social media.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson clapped back at Ngakoue trying to recruit Campbell.
Campbell has made it clear how badly he wants to win a Super Bowl before he retires and loves the culture of the Ravens' organization. Just 6.5 sacks away from the 100-sack milestone, Campbell could make another run at a ring with Baltimore on a team determined to bounce back after missing the playoffs.
"We are hungry, we're disappointed that we didn't make the playoffs, probably a little embarrassed that we didn't make the playoffs based on what we feel we should have done," DeCosta said. "And I think our players are going to come back this year with a vengeance."
