For the first time since 2016, Calais Campbell played Sunday at State Farm Stadium with “Cardinals” on his chest.
Now 39, he gave fans a moment to remember to close out the Cardinals’ 27-22 victory over the Panthers.
With 33 seconds left in the game, he sacked Panthers quarterback Bryce Young to force a turnover on downs that allowed the Cardinals to kneel out the clock.
“Huge play, obviously a huge play,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said. “It’s a got-to-have-it there. We needed it. We definitely needed it, and he came up big.”
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The play gave Campbell a moment in the spotlight in front of the fans he’s seen the most in his 18-year career.
“Being able to make the play at the end of the game and have the crowd go wild, that’s a really good feeling,” Campbell said. “It could never get old.”
In total, Campbell had two sacks and five tackles Sunday, but his contributions since his return expand beyond his play.
“Ultimate level of respect,” receiver Michael Wilson said. “I couldn’t even imagine playing football until I was 39. He’s still doing it at a high level. You just look at him and think he epitomizes how to be a professional and how to do it at a high level.”
That respect and veteran presence made Campbell an ideal target in the offseason for a young Cardinals team. On the defensive line, Darius Robinson and Walter Nolen III were both taken in the last two drafts, and experienced linemen like Campbell and offseason signing Dalvin Tomlinson can help the younger players establish themselves in the NFL.
Campbell knows what it’s like to be a young player in Arizona. He began his career with the Cardinals as a second-round pick in 2008 and spent nine seasons in the desert. Despite free agent offers elsewhere, Campbell chose to come back to Arizona, and the fans greeted him like he never left.
“It’s been a long time since I played in this stadium as a Cardinal,” Campbell said. “But it felt good, just coming out onto the field, running out (of) the tunnel. That’s when the emotion kind of hit me, and I was kind of doing the same things I used to do when I was a young, athletic man.”
From the moment he came out of the tunnel, the day gave Campbell a chance to soak in the stadium he called home for so long.
“I felt the love from the crowd, that was awesome,” Campbell said. “Going down the end zone and praying like I do and seeing all those familiar faces and people with my jersey and all the love I got. It was pretty surreal.”
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