Skip to main content

Everyone wants a piece of Calais Campbell, but the Atlanta Falcons proved to be the lucky ones in his free agency sweepstakes, signing a one-year deal with the veteran defensive end.

Among those contending for Campbell's services were the New York Jets, whose offseason has been defined by a verbal commitment - not a contract nor trade - with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Despite that, Rodgers tried recruiting Campbell to the Jets before signing with the Falcons.

"It was kind of crazy because Aaron Rodgers texted me and he's like 'come on man, let's go win a championship together.' It was appealing having Aaron Rodgers text you talking about winning a Super Bowl together, but when it came down to it, I just had this gut feeling that Atlanta was a special place and the value I could bring would be most effective there," Campbell told CBS Sports.

Rodgers has already done a fair amount of recruiting for the team he has yet to join himself. The Jets signed former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard in free agency and could look to bring more of Rodgers' buddies if and when he officially joins the team.

That being said, knowing the Falcons were able to beat out Rodgers' pitch to join the Jets proves that Atlanta is brewing something special and it's become an attractive place for players to join.


You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.

Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.

Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the SI.com team page here