Parris Campbell discussed retiring from the NFL as he reacted to the Philadelphia Eagles waiving him in August with an immediate offer to join their practice squad.
His wife, Taylor, mother, Shelly Woodruff, and agent, Joel Segal, heard him contemplate ending his career.
Campbell remembers declaring, “If this is the only opportunity that I have, to go be on a practice squad, I'm done with ball, and we'll figure out what's next.”
However, a sense of despair struck Campbell on the heels of him delivering the message to Segal. As Campbell often does when he feels uneasy, he leaned on his spirituality and began to pray.
Within five to 10 minutes, Campbell answered a phone call from Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, a former Mount Union player and assistant who had previously served as Campbell's offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts.
“He's like, 'Are you sure you want football to be done? Is this what you want? We want you here on the team, on the practice squad. Obviously, it's not what you want, but we want you here, and we have a plan for you,'” Campbell told the Beacon Journal by phone Tuesday from New Orleans.
“I was just so in a moment with God because I had just talked to him, and, obviously, to me, that was his sign of showing me, 'No, this door isn't closed in your life.'”
Campbell's faith has been rewarded.
“I've seen it all the way through,” he said, “and now we're here in the Super Bowl.”
When the Eagles (17-3) and two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (17-2) meet at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome, Campbell will be the only Akron native and former Ohio State football player on either roster.
Ohio State product Parris Campbell is eager to represent his hometown of Akron as a member of the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles
A wide receiver who graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2014, Campbell expressed optimism he'll be active for the game and have a role on the largest stage in sports.
“Representing the city of Akron, representing my family, representing Ohio State ... it's just all come kind of full circle,” Campbell said.
The journey has included its fair share of obstacles.
Campbell, 27, has endured a long list of injuries since the Colts drafted him in the second round (No. 59 overall) out of Ohio State in 2019. He has played just one full season in the professional ranks, compiling 63 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games for the 2022 Colts. After a one-year stint with the New York Giants, Campbell reunited with Sirianni by signing with the Eagles in March.
Yet, a groin injury Campbell suffered early in training camp interfered with his bid for a roster spot. When the Eagles were required to trim to 53 players, Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman met with Campbell to inform him they would release him with an offer to sign with their practice squad.
Campbell explained, in the moment, he “felt like that was kind of a kick in the face.” In hindsight, he conceded, “That was me and my ego.”
A heart-to-heart conversation with Sirianni allowed logic to prevail.
Parris Campbell's stats with the 2024 Eagles
Campbell was waived Aug. 27 and signed with Philadelphia's practice squad the next day. He has repeatedly bounced between the practice squad and active roster this season, appearing in seven games, including two in the playoffs.
Listed as 6 feet and 208 pounds, Campbell has caught six passes on eight targets for 30 yards and a touchdown, all in the regular season. He logged two special teams snaps in a 22-10 wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 12 and eight offensive snaps during a 55-23 NFC Championship triumph over the Washington Commanders on Jan. 26.
“From that last season in Indy to now, there's been a lot of ups and downs, bumps and bruises, good times, bad times,” Campbell said. “But it's a blessing. I'm just excited for the opportunity that we have as a team.”
One reason Campbell has managed to survive in the league despite numerous setbacks is he possesses elite speed. For example, he tied for first among receivers with an official time of 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.
Longtime St. Vincent-St. Mary track and field coach Dan Lancianese noted Campbell trained as a sprinter at Ohio State during the football offseason. Lancianese explained he and Buckeyes track coaches viewed Campbell as someone who could become an Olympian.
“[The OSU track coaches] made one fatal flaw,” Lancianese said. “They said to him, 'Now, in order to do that, we've got to get you to lose 20 pounds first.' You don't tell a football player to lose weight.”
Campbell confirmed the risk of cutting weight proved to be a deal-breaker. As passionate as he remains about track, football has been his No. 1 priority in athletics since his days as a dominant STVM running back.
“I don't know if I would've won a gold medal,” Campbell said with a laugh. “I don't know what that would've looked like. Track was my first love, so it was something that I wanted to continue to do. But if you ask Coach L, still to this day, he still thinks I can go to the Olympics and win a gold medal.”
A Lombardi Trophy would be pretty sweet, too, especially for an individual who recently decided keeping an NFL career afloat would be worth more sacrifice.