Calais Campbell will weigh retirement once again this offseason, but he's certainly not ruling out continuing his spectacular career.
Campbell, 36, considered retirement last offseason too, but announced during the Super Bowl that he wasn't ready to hang it up. Asked about his future Monday, the day after the Ravens were knocked out of the playoffs by the Cincinnati Bengals, Campbell indicated he'll follow a similar process to years past.
"I don't think it would be wise to decide so quickly. I think you have to go through a process. So, I'm going to give myself a few weeks to kind of go through that process and decide after that," Campbell said.
"This is definitely… It's going to be hard to walk away, that's for sure. So, we'll see. I'll talk to the front office and talk to the coaches and I'll think. There's a chance I could be back here again next year; I just have to go through my process."
Campbell is under contract for another season with the Ravens. He is scheduled to have a salary cap hit of $9.4 million next season, per Overthecap.com.
Campbell had a resurgent season in first-year Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald's system. His sacks had dropped each of the previous three seasons down to 1.5 last season, but Campbell finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks this year.
He was once again a force in the Ravens' strong defense and a leader on and off the field. He had 36 tackles in 14 starts, missing three games due to injuries, including a knee injury late in the season. Campbell returned in Week 18 and the playoffs wearing a knee brace.
"I feel like I was still able to affect the ballgames, and that's important," Campbell said. "I don't want to be a guy out here that's not affecting the ballgames, just being a guy. So, that matters to me to decide if I'm going to continue playing or not because I want to make sure that I'm going to be confident that I can go out there and be a difference maker and not just being a guy.
"I think that wouldn't do justice to my career and my legacy if I go out there and become less than what I've been. So, that's something I have to weigh, but this year I think I was on par to the standard of excellence that I hold myself to."
Campbell has a resume worth Hall of Fame consideration, but a Super Bowl title has eluded him. He went to the Super Bowl as a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals, but they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Campbell has also made it clear that he wants to reach the 100-sack milestone, and he sits at 99. He came within a whisker of getting No. 100 on several occasions in the last two games against the Bengals.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't [a factor]," Campbell said of being just short of 100. "I had plenty of opportunities to get it this year and didn't get it done. … I had the guy in my arms a couple times, and just missed him. So, I guess it's not the top of the list, but it's something I really want."
