After Campbell spent three seasons in Baltimore (2020-2022), the Ravens released him in a cost-saving move. It was the only time in his career that he's been cut and a "humbling experience" he hasn't forgotten.
DeCosta told Campbell at the time that he'd like to get him back at a lower price, but the Falcons ended up giving him a raise to go south.
After one year in Atlanta, Campbell bounced to Miami. The Ravens tried to reunite at the trade deadline, but then-Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel nixed the trade, afraid to lose an integral team leader when Miami was trying to dig itself out of an early-season hole. Campbell was disappointed the trade didn't materialize, but he finished strong.
He went to Arizona last offseason, and Campbell said the Ravens again tried to trade for him at the deadline but instead landed Dre'Mont Jones, a versatile EDGE defender who could also play on the defensive line.
Meanwhile, Campbell finished last season with 6.5 sacks, the third-highest pass rush rate among all defensive tackles, and the 14th\-best run defense grade among all interior defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus.
Arizona wanted him back, but after a challenging 3-14 season, Campbell decided he wanted to get back to winning more. The Ravens offered that and were adamant that they wanted him back.
"This year was a lot more pressure than it has been in years past," Campbell said. "Eric DeCosta called pretty much every year, but this was more like, 'I've got to have you. This is going to make a big difference.' I felt that.
"This has been a long time coming. I want to have fun playing football. Well, the number one way of having fun and playing football is making plays and winning games. … Baltimore made the most sense when it came down to that."