So we say goodbye to Calais Campbell a second time.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with Calais the final week of the season, [for a video we wanted to work on](https://www.azcardinals.com/video/cardinals-overtime-full-circle-calais-campbell-return). The idea, regardless of what happened with Campbell in 2026, was that he had come full circle, from leaving after nine years with the Cardinals, spending time elsewhere, and then coming back to get a little closure. The idea, of course, was to have him mentor a young defensive line for a team that was expected to push for the postseason. Unfortunately that didn't happen.
But Calais had a good season, and he knew it. He has talked about retirement before each of his last few seasons in the NFL, and last year was no different. I remember him standing in the Denver heat last preseason after practice with the Cardinals and Broncos, saying he thought he'd retire after the season, but he didn't know.
Then, late last season, he reiterated he didn't know if he'd play or not.
But [when he talked about](https://www.azcardinals.com/news/calais-campbell-will-take-some-time-to-decide-retirement-or-year-19) playing well enough to give himself an option to play another season, that teams would want him. He might still step away, but it's always good to be wanted. Besides, when you listened to Calais talk on the subject, I never once got the impression -- regardless of what he was saying -- that he really wanted to retire.