The Arizona Cardinals plan to open contract discussions with defensive end Calais Campbell, according to AZ Central's Kent Somers.
Cardinals General Manager Rod Graves said on Thursday that the team will be opening up contract discussions in the near future with a couple of current players, and Campbell is most certainly one of them.
Campbell is in the last year of his rookie contract and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent, so the time is now if the Cardinals want to retain their leading sack getter over the past three seasons for the long haul. Figuring out what he's worth to the team may be a bit tricky, though Kent Somers suggests that a contract similar to that of Falcons DE Ray Edwards could work nicely as a template; Edwards is set to earn $30 million over the next five years, including around $11 million guaranteed.
The 25 year-old Campbell will likely get a big pay raise, but not at the level as someone like Darnell Dockett who is already on his third NFL contract. This will be Campbell's second. Campbell was a second round draft choice in 2008, and is in his third year as a starter with Arizona.
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