MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins received legitimate offers for defensive tackle Calais Campbell, coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Sunday, but both he and Campbell objected to any trade despite the team’s disappointing record at the time.

The Dolphins nearly traded Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens for a fifth-round pick at the trade deadline, NFL Network reported Sunday, but McDaniel said he made it clear to then-general manager Chris Grier about Campbell’s importance.

“It wasn’t like it was Chris against me,” McDaniel said. ‘It was more that Chris looks at it the way I do, or that we work together – and I may or may not have had an adult tantrum.

“The tough thing about Chris’s job is that he has to look at the long term and the short term at the same time, what’s best for the organization. … We rely on each other for things that I have to be on top of, and one of those is the dressing room and what one individual does for an entire team, I think Calais appeals, because that was strong compensation for someone who has just crossed the thirty-year mark.”

The Dolphins were 2-6 at the trade deadline, and the 38-year-old Campbell, who was productive in his first season with the team, was an attractive trade target. However, the Dolphins consulted Campbell after receiving offers for him, a source confirmed to ESPN, and Campbell’s preference was to remain in Miami.

“It says something about how he plays,” McDaniel said. “It speaks to what he means to the team, that teams would be willing to do that, and there was some competition for that.”

Since the deadline, the Dolphins have won three straight games and are in the hunt for the AFC’s seventh seed after a 34-15 win against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Campbell is tied with Zach Sieler for the team lead with four sacks, and he leads the team with nine tackles for loss. His 40% run-stop win rate this season ranks 11th among all defensive linemen, while his 13% pass-rush win rate as a defensive tackle is fifth-best in the league entering Week 12.

His teammates say his leadership has been invaluable as Miami continues to recover from its poor start.

“There’s no one’s game I respect more than Calais’ on the D-line, where I’m with him this year,” Sieler said. “Just the energy, the attitude and the mentality that he brings every week, it can’t be matched. And that’s why he is who he is today and doing what he’s doing at 17 years old (in the competition).”