For some time now, the Cardinals have been wanting to sit down with Calais Campbell‘s representation to discuss his contract. However, they were unable to since Campbell was without representation. Now that has changed as the defensive end has hired agent Tom Condon, as Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets.
Campbell was a client of Ben Dogra, who was suspended and fined by the NFLPA in January. Dogra is appealing the ruling from the union, but Campbell is moving on to another agent. With that hurdle out of the way, Arizona can now try and work out a new pact with the veteran who is slated to carry a whopping $15.25MM cap charge in 2016.
The Cardinals could attempt to work out an extension with Campbell in an effort to lower their costs in the present. However, the 29-year-old (30 in September) may instead prefer to play out the season to try and restore his value before free agency. While Campbell has earned Pro Bowl selections in each of the last two seasons, he has not quite justified his ~$55MM contract inked prior to the 2012 season.
The Cardinals also might not be willing to offer Campbell much after acquiring edge rusher Chandler Jones from the Patriots. Arizona must leave room to re-sign Jones following the 2016 season and given the way that top defensive ends have been getting paid, they might have to give the former Patriots standout a deal worth close to $20MM/year. The Cardinals probably want to lessen their financial commitment to Campbell for ’16, but not at the expense of fiscal flexibility in 2017 and beyond.