Former Jaguars Star Continues High Level Play Late in Career

The 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars are among the greatest teams in franchise history. It was a group led by quarterback Blake Bortles, running back Leonard Fournette, and the best defense in the Jaguars' 30-plus-year history.

The Jaguars defense that year feasted on opposing offenses with an elite secondary and outstanding pass rush led by former "Mayor of Sacksonville" Calais Campbell, edge defender Yannick Ngakoue, defensive tackle Malik Jackson, and defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., while the secondary was led by a young Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Barry Church, and Tashaun Gipson along with a great linebacker corps of Telvin Smith, Myles Jack, and Paul Posluszny.

Any Jaguars fan that spent most of the century watching their team at the bottom of the NFL's basement would atest to the magic this group had, which was a forced fumble away from playing in Super Bowl 52 against Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles- a missed call that haunts fans to this day and stealing a great story and underdog team from reaching the highest of mountains for the first time ever.

Eight years later, the team is nothing but a fond memory while Ramsey and Campbell continue to remain productive in the NFL. The latter, entering his 18th season in the NFL, has remained a key cog of any defense he has been a part of and the longevity he has maintained entering his age-38 season has been outstanding.

Pro Football Focus believes so, as site analyst Ryan Smith wrote in an article listing 10 players that have played at a high level late in their career and listed the former Jaguar as one of those veterans.

"Aside from quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Joe Flacco, Calais Campbell (who turns 39 years old in September) is the oldest active player in the NFL," Smith wrote. "The Dolphins were one of the league’s biggest disappointments last year, starting the season 2-6, but Campbell still played in all 17 games, ranking first among interior defenders with an 85.9 PFF run-defense grade.

"Campbell signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency and will finish out his Hall-of-Fame career back where it started in 2008," Smith continued. "His leadership will be valuable for an improving defensive line, most notably 16th-overall pick Walter Nolen."

While Campbell hasn't been in Jacksonville since 2019, he quickly became a franchise great with his 14.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss as a runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. While there was a chance for a return in 2023, former general manager Trent Baalke had told Campbell that the veteran would play a lesser role on a younger defensive line.

Now, Campbell returns to the team that drafted him 18 years ago as he hopes to contribute to their potential push back to the postseason. However, his success during his three-year run with Jacksonville will be etched in the memories of Jaguars fans forever.

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