After growing up with dreams of being a Bronco, Calais Campbell is eager to play in his hometown Sunday

Long before Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell was the mayor of Sacksonville, he was a boy growing up in Denver, Co. with dreams of making it to the NFL and playing for his hometown Broncos.

He would drive by Mile High Stadium and envision himself on Sunday's, hoping one day to don the orange and white. Instead, his career took him down a different path, and on Sunday he will help lead the Jaguars (1-2) into Mile High to face the struggling Broncos (0-3).

"It is special. I remember growing up and wanting to be in the NFL, make it to the NFL, and I used to always dream about playing for the Broncos back then," Campbell said Monday.

This will only be Campbell's second time playing at Mile High in a regular season game since he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2008. The first time? Oct. 5, 2014, almost five years ago.

"I’ve always been surprised I have only played there one other time in the regular season," Campbell said.

Campbell's focus on Sunday will be about getting a win for the Jaguars to push them to .500, but in another world he would be playing as a Bronco on Sunday. Campbell reportedly chose between Jacksonville and Denver when he was a free agent in 2017, but Jaguars came with a better offer and lured him from home.

"You get drafted and make it to the NFL and it is just a dream come true. And then you get to go home and play in the stadium I used to just drive by and envision myself playing there. And I get to play in front of all my friends, family, teachers; people who helped me along the way."

Campbell will certainly have a large crowd there Sunday to watch him play, many who have never gotten a chance to see the hometown boy play at Mile High. Campbell isn't sure quite how many yet, but expect him to buy more than just a few tickets.

"I gotta get some tickets, I am not even sure how many. 20 was my cutoff but I think I am going to have to get a few more," Campbell laughed.

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