Let the tampering begin.
The NFL offseason has officially begun. Teams can now negotiate with free agents. This is an attempt to get an edge on rebuilding and making a run to the Super Bowl. It’s a great day to be alive for an NFL fan.
Free agency does not officially begin until March 9.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have to be excited as well. They hope to bring several free agents in that will help build a winning organization. With a core of young players already committed to the roster, executive vice president Tom Coughlin and team general manager David Caldwell have to find more puzzle pieces to fit in order for this team to finally become relevant in the AFC.
[DavidL]
One player, in particular, that is making the news today is a possibility of the team signing defensive and Calais Campbell this week. The 30-year-old defensive end who played for the Arizona Cardinals and played his college ball at the University of Miami could be quite an attractive addition to a defense that was much improved last year.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in play for Cardinals free agent DL Calais Campbell. This is per a story on nfltraderumors.com, according to Mike Klis of 9News.
Campbell has been linked to the Broncos in the past few weeks. He is expected to command a huge salary. This could easily take Denver out of the running for him.
Jacksonville has plenty of cap space to get as aggressive as they would like in free agency. So this is certainly something to monitor in the coming days.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic recently mentioned that the Cardinals are likely to lose Campbell. Most likely to a big-money deal in free agency.
With many of the top tier pass rushers off the market, it will be imperative for the Jaguars, as well as other teams in need of a pass rusher, to hit Campbell and his agent with their best offer early in order to secure his services.
[Sean2]
Calais Campbell, if signed, would go a bit against the team’s grain of the past four years with Caldwell as general manager. While finding young players has been part of the blueprint Caldwell and former head coach Gus Bradley designed, there were little results. Campbell fits the mold of a veteran pass rusher who can give this team experience on the outside.
Campbell is a former second-round pick of the Cardinals back in 2008. He played out the final year of his five-year, $55 million contract that included $17 million guaranteed. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Last season, he appeared in all 16 games for the Cardinals. He recorded 53 tackles, eight sacks, an interception, three fumble recoveries with one being returned for a touchdown. He also had two forced fumbles, six pass defenses, and a safety. As a result, Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 2 interior defensive lineman out of 127 qualifying players.