Calais Campbell Pens His Goodbye to the Jaguars: ‘It Was a True Honor to Be Your Mayor of Sacksonville’
Trading Calais Campbell was undoubtedly an emotional move for the players, fans, and decision-makers of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The defensive lineman made an impact on and off the field that is hard to sum up in words.
In short, Campbell meant everything to Jacksonville. For three years, he was Jacksonville.
While trading Campbell made fiscal sense (clears $15 million in cap space), and even some football sense (will be 34 in 2020, production slipped in 2019), it is a move that signals the departure of a leader and voice that has been a centerpiece of the Jaguars and the Jacksonville community since he signed with the team in 2017.
As a result, Campbell penned a goodbye letter to the Jaguars, their fans, and the community on social media, laying out what the last three years meant to him and what this means for the future of his philanthropy efforts in Jacksonville.
"Like anything in life, they say great things only last for so long. My time in Jacksonville has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with love, support and pure joy from the Duval community," Campbell tweeted.
"My family and I have fallen in love with the spirit and people of Jacksonville and we have made a lifetime of memories here in just three short years. When I first signed with the Jaguars, I made a commitment to the community here that I would do everything I could to make lives better for those who felt they didn’t have a voice or didn’t have opportunity. To the people of Jacksonville, my commitment still stands. Even though I won’t be playing for your team, the work that the CRC Foundation has started in Northeast FL will continue."
In his three seasons in Jacksonville, Campbell built tight bonds with younger players he shared the defensive line with. From Yannick Ngakoue to Dawuane Smoot to Josh Allen, Campbell was a mentor who was never afraid to share his knowledge, resulting in his protegees giving him a respectful goodbye on Sunday.
As thanks to those he shared the field with, and to those who supported and cheered him on each Sunday for the last three years, Campbell had nothing but good things to say in his goodbye.
"To my teammates, coaches, the entire Jaguars organization, Mr. Khan and Tony, and every Jags fan who ever yelled DUUUVAL alongside me, thank you; thank you making me feel like family," Campbell tweeted. "Your kindness and enthusiasm fueled me to be a better player and a better member of your community. It was one of the great honors of my life to wear teal and black and I’ll forever be grateful for how my time as a Jaguar changed my life."
Campbell will not be a Jaguar moving forward, but his three years with the team will go down in Jaguars' lore due to his on-field play (his 31.5 sacks are fourth in franchise history), his off-field charity efforts, his accolades (three Pro Bowls, one first-team All-Pro honor, 2019 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award). There were big expectations when Campbell signed in 2017, and he met them with ease.
"They say to always leave a place better than you found it and I hope thats what I’ve done in Duval," Campbell said. "Thank you for believing and allowing me to live out my dream. It was a true honor to be your Mayor of Sacksonville.
