Calais Campbell is wrapping up a contract signed in 2012 that paid him $55 million over five years, and for the most part he was worth every penny.

A second-round pick in 2008 out of Miami, Campbell is second on the franchise’s all-time sacks list with 56.5, made two Pro Bowls and has been a leader both in the locker room and the community.

As the free agent signing period nears, however, it is appearing increasingly likely that Campbell’s time in Arizona has come to an end.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Jacksonville Jaguars are emerging as a contender for his services, since they’ll have plenty of money to spend and could use a player of Campbell’s caliber on the roster.

But somewhat buried inside the insider’s mentioning of the Jaguars is an interesting nugget regarding the Cardinals and how interested they were in keeping Campbell in the desert.

“The Cardinals also made a strong effort to bring him back, offering him more than $10 million (per season),” Rapoport said. “But it certainly seems like Calais Campbell believes at this point he can get more than that.”

The Cardinals entered free agency with roughly $17 million of salary cap room, and Campbell is one of close to 20 free agents the team might possibly lose.

The 30-year-old is coming off a season in which he notched eight sacks, 27 QB hits and 26 QB pressures while also being a force in the running game. In short, Campbell showed he can still be an impact player, making it even tougher to see him go if, in fact, he does.

Thus far, Campbell has been linked to the Jaguars, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, among others.

On Monday, NFL.com’s Adam Schein wrote he would also be a good fit for the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots.

So in other words, Campbell will have no shortage of suitors, meaning he’s probably right in believing he could get more from a new team than he can from the Cardinals.

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