Calais Campbell really wanted to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
How badly? It turns out the defensive end signed with Jacksonville before he’d even spoken to vice president Tom Coughlin or coach Doug Marrone.
“I actually didn’t talk to [Coughlin] until after I already signed,” Campbell told Robert Klemko of the MMQB. “But I didn’t need to have a conversation with him because his résumé speaks for itself. It’s automatic. He’s a future Hall of Famer, so no conversation was needed.”
Campbell didn’t talk to Marrone, either, saying he preferred to check in with players who had played for him and his staff in the past.
“After I signed I talked to everybody. But before I signed I didn’t talk to anybody,” Campbell said. “I had talked to guys who played for them. I feel like that’s the way to do it. The one person that has given me good advice over the years is my [Cardinals] D-Line coach, Brentson Buckner. He gave me a lot of advice over the last couple months concerning schemes and coaching staffs and how they use players.”
Campbell surprised some by turning down the Denver Broncos to join a rebuilding Jaguars organization. He’s clearly a believer in the project, even if he didn’t even talk to the guys in charge of it before agreeing to terms.
