There are only three players currently on NFL active rosters from the 2008 NFL Draft: 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year quarterback Joe Flacco (Indianapolis Colts), quarterback Josh Johnson (Baltimore Ravens) and new Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell.
Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowler and 2010s All-Decade team member, will turn 38 on Sept. 1, but after a 2023 season in which he started all 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons and totaled 6.5 sacks, 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 42 quarterback pressures — one fewer than New York Giants 2022 fifth overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux — he knew he had a little bit left in the tank.
“I thought about [retiring],” Campbell said, via The Palm Beach Post, on Tuesday. “I don’t think I thought about it very long though. … If you’re playing football at a high level, why not do it one more time? Just going through that process and trying to figure out if I really want to do it. It really just came down to just with the family, talking to the wife and kids. … And it really came down to, do I want to go through the process of what it takes to be good again.
“Because physically, and the desire and love for the game, has never left, not even a little…
