Calais Campbell not going anywhere

Not that it’s a surprise because everyone has realized that if a new long-term contract isn’t reached with defensive end Calais Campbell, he would receive a franchise tag to buy time, but general manager Rod Graves said Thursday Campbell will be sticking around. Graves didn’t come out during an interview on Arizona Sports 620 and say Campbell will get the franchise tag, but he did say Campbell would stay put.

“Calais will be with us, rest assured,” Graves said. “We will continue to focus on getting a long term deal in place and it’s a process. But he will be an Arizona Cardinals player this year and we are hoping certainly to extend that to a long-term deal. Conversations are continuing with his agent.”
The only way Graves can be sure Campbell would be a Cardinal this year is to know the tag will be used if a new contract isn’t reached. There is still a long time before the tag deadline. Teams can start using the tag Feb. 20 (Monday) and must apply it no later than March 5, a little more than a week before free agency. There is plenty of time to get a contract hammered out before March 5, and the reality is most deals don’t come down without some kind of deadline approaching.

And of course, if/once the tag is used, discussions will keep going for a new contract.


(azcardinals.com)