Calais Campbell’s name was scratched from a spot in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ record books Sunday when Josh Allen recorded his second of three sacks against the Carolina Panthers.
Now at 16.5 sacks in 2023, Campbell’s 14.5-sack season in 2017 no longer stands as the best year ever for a Jaguars pass rusher.
Campbell, 37, wasn’t sad to see the record go, though. Allen said he received a text before the game from the former Jaguars and current Falcons lineman telling him to break it. A day after the game, Campbell gave a shoutout to his former teammate:
Proud of my guy! Earned every one of them and also earned a very big payday https://t.co/tPLpxEBOsl
— Calais Campbell (@CalaisCampbell) January 1, 2024
Campbell and Allen played just one season together after the latter was drafted in the 2019 NFL draft. The Jaguars traded Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens during the 2020 offseason.
Allen, 26, is on his way to a “very big payday” indeed, although the real haul from his breakout 2023 campaign could be off on the horizon still. Rather than a massive extension exceeding $100 million, Jacksonville’s easiest route to retaining Allen may be to use the franchise tag, which would guarantee the pass rusher about $22 million in 2024.
