Cardinals place franchise tag on Calais Campbell

It looks like Calais Campbell will be an Arizona Cardinal
in 2012, whether the team signs him to a long-term
contract or not.

The Cardinals announced Friday they have placed the “non-
exclusive” franchise tag on the defensive lineman, meaning
Campbell will receive a one-year tender at either 120% of
his 2012 salary or the average of the five highest paid
players at his position in 2012, depending on which is
greater.

Campbell had a breakout campaign in 2011, finishing with
72 tackles, eight sacks and one interception.

“We’ve made no secret of the high regard in which we hold
Calais,” said Cardinals General Manager ROD GRAVES. “To be
clear, reaching a long-term deal that will keep Calais
with
the Cardinals for years to come remains our primary
objective. This move today allows us the opportunity to
continue working with Calais and his agent toward that
goal
and that’s exactly what we will do.”

To his credit, Campbell seems open to the idea of
remaining a Cardinals for 2012 and beyond.

Well I’m happy to be
a Cardinal for at least one more year but I look forward
to the possibility of getting a long term deal done as
well

— Calais Campbell (@Campbell93) March 2,
2012

The deadline to place the franchise tag on a player is
Monday, March 5 at 2:00 p.m. Arizona time.

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