In addition to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement getting done, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the popular topics in NFL headlines Sunday. The team shocked the football community by trading Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2020 fifth-round pick, further indicating that they were heading towards a rebuild.
Clearly, the transaction was a business move more than anything as the Jags simply didn’t want to take a $15 million cap hit for an aging player after attempting to lower his cap figure in the past. Sunday, Campbell seemed to understand that and released a very classy statement to the fans of the Jags and the organization.
(1/6) Like anything in life, they say great things only last for so long. My time in Jacksonville has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with love, support and pure joy from the Duval community. pic.twitter.com/jzfcSxZzSX
— Calais Campbell (@CalaisCampbell) March 15, 2020
In just three short seasons, Campbell built a strong bond with the Jacksonville community and the fans simply won’t forget what he’s done for them on and off the field. Through his foundation, the CRC Foundation, he especially helped a lot of children in the community, whether it was with his Christmas with Calais holiday shopping sprees or holding bowling events at Main Event.
On the field, Campbell was quite productive during the brief time that the Jags were good (2017) and afterward. He was named to three Pro Bowls while with the team and was also named an All-Pro (2017) while accumulating 195 total tackles and 31.5 sacks.
Simply put, his contributions made him the soul of the Jags and now a big void will be left. At least he left the organization with several good memories and on good terms, though.