New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell broke his media silence with a significant revelation on Feb. 10.
After leaving the Patriots’ locker room after the Super Bowl without talking to members of the media, Campbell spoke to reporters a couple of days later. According to Mark Daniels of MassLive, the first-year offensive lineman said he tore a ligament in his knee during the season.
Campbell said he played at less than 100% during the Patriots’ Super Bowl run but also said it was not an excuse for his struggles down the stretch.
Campbell missed all of December after landing on injured reserve with a knee injury he sustained in a Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Campbell had to be carted to the locker room after the injury, and he landed on injured reserve the following week. After missing the minimum four games on IR, Campbell returned for Week 18 and the playoffs.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft allowed 14 pressures against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60, according to Next Gen Stats. That was the most allowed by a single player in any game during the 2025 season, including the playoffs.
Next Gen Stats also attributed 29 total pressures allowed to Campbell over the course of the Patriots’ playoff run, which is the most of any player since 2016, the beginning of the Next Gen Stats era.
In the days after the Super Bowl, more than a handful of current and former offensive linemen took to social media to analyze Campbell’s struggles. Several pointed to a lack of solid base/foundation in his stance, which could be chalked up to the knee injury he was still recovering from.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said on Feb. 10 that he and the team have no plans to move Campbell to the interior after his rough outing.
‘Will’s 22 years old. He’s our left tackle,’ Vrabel said. ‘He’ll get better and get stronger. (There were) moments where he played well, moments where he blocked a guy. There’s plays he’d like to have back; we’re not moving him to guard or center or tight end or anywhere else.’