Earlier this week, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that the team had an offer from the Baltimore Ravens for defensive lineman Calais Campbell that they turned down just before the NFL’s trade deadline.
According to Campbell’s brother, it was much more than just that.
“There was a bidding war,” Jared Campbell said on a podcast with comedian Michael Lenoci. “They had nine teams that offered at least a sixth-round pick. … Then there was a bidding war, so then the teams offered a fifth — the 49ers and the Ravens. The [Dolphins] said ‘Oh, we’ll go with the Ravens. You’re familiar with the team, they look good. You’re good.’ And the 49ers came in last minute and said we’ll give a fourth-round pick for him.”
Other teams in the mix, according to Jared, included the Cardinals, Bears, Commanders, and Bengals.
Receiving a fourth-round pick for a 38-year-old defensive lineman on an expiring contract is hard to turn down. The fact that the Dolphins kept Campbell in spite of those offers was a show of faith that wasn’t lost on the 17th year defensive lineman.
“Calais was prepared to be traded,” Jared Campbell said. “Somehow they came to the decision in the final hour before they were like ‘Hey, give us that pick.’ To be like, ‘No, we’re not going to do this.’ Calais was like ‘Man, it made me feel like love. Because if you turn down a fourth-round pick for a 38-year-old guy on an expiring contract, you must really want me.'”
The Dolphins’ faith has been rewarded in recent weeks. The team has won three straight since the Nov. 5 deadline and Campbell’s leadership has made a strong impression on his teammates.
The six-time Pro Bowler leads the team in sacks with four and tackles for loss with nine.
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