30 NFL stars who could retire after the 2024 season

12. Calais Campbell, Miami Dolphins

Until literally days ago, Calais Campbell seemed like he might have priced himself out of the market and was forced to wait for a team to come calling after a big injury when the money matters a little less. Instead, the shorthanded Miami Dolphins are hoping to pull something big out of the 37-year-old behemoth. Maybe going back "home" will be a good swan song.

Campbell is still playing at a relatively high level. He had 6.5 sacks and more than 50 tackles last season. It was the most sacks he’s had since he left Jacksonville. He found his groove again in Atlanta, and now he’s taking those talents to South Beach. 

Here’s the thing about Miami: there’s a decent chance the whole thing blows up. The Dolphins could be really good, but there seems to be just as good a chance they disappoint. If Campbell is on yet another team with playoff upside that fails, he might just say enough is enough. He’s holding on for whatever personal reasons he has, but a lot of those reasons go away unless he plays pretty well this season.

His Hall of Fame argument is an interesting one. There aren’t many left from the 2008 NFL Draft, and most of them are on this list (Flacco, Brown). Campbell has over 100 sacks, but it seems like his career was about accumulation. We all thought he was good, but great? That’s for another list.