Two of the Arizona Cardinals’ top defenders from the 2025 season, Calais Campbell and Jalen Thompson, were among NFL.com’s ranking of the top 101 free agents.
Teams can begin negotiating with their pending free agents at 10 a.m. MST on March 9. NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal ordered the best of those players ahead of that date, calling this offseason’s free-agent crop “incredibly deep.”
Campbell, who checked in at No. 52 on the list, had 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss (both second on the team behind Josh Sweat) as he played all 17 regular-season games despite turning 39 years old ahead of the season starting.
The longtime NFL veteran played his 18th season on a one-year deal worth $5.5 million. There’s no word on whether or not he plans to retire, and his career earnings have surpassed $150 million, according to Spotrac.
Rosenthal’s take:
“It’s outrageous how he continually winds up being the best defensive lineman — or close to it — on every team he joins, with his 40th birthday (Sept. 1) now on the horizon.”
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Walter Nolen III, who was fourth on the team in tackles for loss (five) despite playing just six games as a rookie, would be looked at to step up into a bigger role should Campbell depart or retire. However, his availability for the start of the season is up in the air after his season was ended early by a knee injury.
Thompson, No. 73 on the list, has spent the past five seasons holding down a safety spot opposite Budda Baker on the back end of Arizona’s defense, averaging 100.4 tackles per season with 14 tackles for loss and eight interceptions over that span.
He could be in line for a bigger payday after playing the last three years at about $12 million per season, while Baker’s contract has an annual average value of $18 million.
Rosenthal:
“He’d be better known if he played anywhere else.”
Arizona has a couple of young defensive backs in the wings who could rise up to take Thompson’s place between Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Kitan Crawford, who combined for 79 tackles across 594 snaps in their second and rookie NFL seasons, respectively.
This spring’s NFL Draft is another option to plug the potential holes, with the NFL Draft Combine getting going this week.
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