With teams now actively chasing down free agents, longtime Cardinals pass rusher Calais Campbell is drawing interest from an unexpected club in the AFC.
"Keep an eye on the Jacksonville Jaguars here," NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said during Tuesday's edition of Free Agency Frenzy. "They do have a lot of money invested in that position. Of course, last year with Malik Jackson, similar player, similar position, but I am told they are the team to watch here as far as where Calais Campbell may end up."
Last offseason, the Jaguars inked Jackson to a six-year, $90 million pact, but Jacksonville has long made a habit of paying big money to open-market free agents. With Campbell operating as one the league's top 3-4 ends, it's fair to question how the 30-year-old lineman would mesh with the Jaguars, who are expected to keep the team's 4-3 defense in place under new coordinator Todd Wash.
The Cardinals used three or fewer lineman on all but 22 defensive plays last season, per Next Gen Stats, but that shouldn't erase the concept of Jacksonville pursuing the highly versatile Campbell, who piled up eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2016 -- feats that weren't forgotten in Arizona.
"The Cardinals also made a strong effort to bring him back, offering him more than $10 million," Rapoport noted. "But it certainly seems like Calais Campbell believes, at this point, he could get more than that."
Those expectations feel entirely possible amid reports that the Broncos are also interested in Campbell, who is bound to become a dangerously rich man if a bidding war breaks out for his services.
