Cardinals DL Calais Campbell Needs This For $500,000 Incentive

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell (93) walks off the field after their 27-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 19, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cardinals DL Calais Campbell Needs This For $500,000 Incentive

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Donnie Druin | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 4:01 PM ET

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There's not much for the Arizona Cardinals to play for in their Week 18 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams other than pride.

Well, for most players.

Cardinals legendary defensive end Calais Campbell is one sack away from earning an extra $500,000 today.

Cardinals DE Calais Campbell needs one sack Sunday vs. the Rams to finish this season with 7.5 and collect an additional $500,000 incentive.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 4, 2026

Campbell previously earned $500,000 by reaching 5.5 sacks this season. This would make it a clear one million dollars in terms of sack incentives if Campbell can reach the 7.5 sack mark.

Spotrac is also showing Campbell has playing time incentives this season. If he plays 54% of snaps he'll earn $500,000 while 58% would see him earn $1 million extra.

Campbell's currently at 46.5%, so it feels unlikely he'll hit either of those.

More on Calais Campbell's Potential Final Season

This could be Campbell's final game after 18 seasons of service in the NFL. The veteran and likely Ring of Honor candidate for Arizona still seems to be unsure.

"It's not a personal decision, it's a decision everybody has some kind of interest in," Campbell said (h/tAZCardinals.com's Darren Urban).

"I try to be respectful (answering questions), but I have to go through my process. I don't know if I'm going to retire or not because I don't know how my body is going to feel."

If this is it, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said it was a privilege to spend one year with him.

"Fantastic. Better than I ever could have thought honestly," Gannon said of coaching Campbell.

"Obviously played really well this year. Captain. Leadership, pro's-pro. Energy, juice all the time. I learned a lot from him. It's been awesome."

Campbell, despite his age, has been one of the very few consistent performers for the Cardinals this season. There's hope his impact lasts far past whenever his playing days are over, too.

"He's been in a lot of places. He's had a lot of success, everything from defensive line play to how we structure a team meeting to the schedule to everything. He's been around the block, and he's a really good resource because of how long he's been doing it," Gannon continued.

"And he's been awesome for our players, too. I know that for our younger guys, he's been a really good resource for them."

If this is truly it for Campbell, what a career for the big man. And although this season didn't quite pan out like many had hoped, it was still nice to see Campbell return home for one last ride.