The Baltimore Ravens released veteran DE Calais Campbell, executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta announced on Monday.
"Calais defines what it is to be a Raven," DeCosta stated. "He personifies professionalism, and his contributions to our organization – both on and off the field – are immense. With his passion, leadership and toughness, Calais has undoubtedly produced a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
"While this is the worst part of the business, we have not closed the door on the possibility of him returning to our team in the future."
Campbell played three seasons (2020-22) with the Ravens, seeing action in 41 games. During this time, he posted 113 tackles, 11 sacks, 36 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In 2020, he earned Pro Bowl honors, while this past season, he was named the NFL's 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award winner.
A six-time Pro Bowler and member of the 2010s NFL All-Decade Team, during his 15-year career Campbell has played in 227 games (208 starts), both ranking as the most among active NFL defensive linemen. He owns the most tackles (800) by an active NFL defensive lineman, while his 99 career sacks rank No. 9 among all active players. His nine blocked field goals are also the NFL's third most since 2000 (when data became available).
In 2022, Campbell started all 14 games he appeared in, registering 5.5 sacks, 14 QB hits and two forced fumbles. He helped Baltimore's defense rank in the Top 5 in four categories: No. 3 in points allowed per game (18.5), No. 3 in defensive red zone TD% (46.4), No. 3 in rushing yards per game (92.1) and No. 4 in third-down efficiency (34.9%).
