After the New England Patriots fell short in Super Bowl LX, criticism quickly followed the team’s rookie left tackle, Will Campbell. While Campbell showed flashes of potential during the 2025 regular season, his inconsistencies, especially on the biggest stage, became hard to ignore. He struggled to protect Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye against the Seattle Seahawks, who sacked the QB six times in the Super Bowl. Maye, however, isn’t joining the critics as he recently spoke highly of Campbell when addressing the media.

“I know it’s probably been a long year for the rookies, long year for Will, a long year for these guys to get adapted to playing in the NFL,” Drake Maye told reporters in the presser on February 10. “I think Will is a great case of somebody who’s experienced it all. Experienced the ups and downs – the injury side of it. The long times where you don’t want to talk to the media, but you have to, or the expectations of a first-round pick, I think he’s dealt with so much this year.”

“He’s going to be a great player in this league,” Maye added. “He’s already a great player in this league. I look forward to seeing him in the offseason, hanging out with him, and getting back to OTAs. I love Will, and I look forward to playing with him for a long time.”

The Patriots used a high first-round pick on Will Campbell with one clear expectation: protect Drake Maye’s blind side for the years to come. Then, during his rookie season, Campbell appeared in 13 games and logged 783 offensive snaps – 93.5% of the team’s total offensive plays. That workload alone says a lot about how much trust Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel placed in him, and it was evident when he recently talked about Campbell.

“Will is 22 years old, he’s our left tackle, he’ll get better, he’ll get stronger,” Mike Vrabel said in the recent presser while echoing Maye’s words. “There are moments he played well, moments he blocked the guy, there are plays he’d like to have back.”

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Still, Super Bowl LX exposed some glaring issues in Campbell’s game as he struggled mightily even as Seattle generated pressure with a simple four-man rush. Drake Maye paid the price, getting pressured constantly as he failed to score in the first three quarters, while Seattle’s defensive masterclass also forced him to three turnovers. Maye wrapped up the night completing 27 of 43 passes for 285 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. 

As per the Next Gen Stats, Campbell allowed 14 quarterback pressures, the most surrendered by any player in a single game during the 2025 season. ESPN Analytics further ranked Will Campbell 29th out of 30 qualified tackles in the 2025 postseason in Pass Block Win Rate at just 83.6%. 

Will Campbell was also a part of the O-line that failed to provide Drake Maye enough time to scan the field, and it was further evident from the 21 sacks across the four postseason games. However, as Maye also pointed out, Campbell was dealing with an injury even before the postseason began. 

Recently, the Patriots’ rookie tackle revealed that he played the final stretch of the 2025 season with a torn ligament in his knee. That lingering injury likely affected Campbell’s confidence and mobility, particularly against Seattle’s top-ranked defense.

While that does not excuse everything, it certainly explains some of Campbell’s struggles. Ultimately, Campbell wasn’t the only reason the Patriots lost, but it’s fair to say that he was part of the problem. And it was one of those things that led Campbell to stay away from the media that night. 

Will Campbell reveals the real reason behind his Super Bowl media snub

As his struggles became very evident in the Patriots’ Super Bowl LX loss, Sunday might’ve been a very emotional night for Will Campbell. So, after the game, Campbell declined to talk with reporters, while choosing to regroup mentally. However, it was only recently that he finally broke his silence on that decision and apologized for not speaking to the reporters after Super Bowl LX.

“The guy in the locker room was a young man who has a lot of emotions, who probably doesn’t care what he says,” Will Campbell said in the presser on February 10. “When I get emotional, I tend to have no mind, and that’s not the way that I need to approach this thing. I know myself, and if I would’ve spoken after, I would have said something that I didn’t need to say. So, I slept on it, I watched it, and I know what I got to get better at and move on.”

While Will Campbell displayed self-awareness and maturity with that apology, the league is still reportedly reviewing his absence. Under the NFL rules, players must make themselves available to the media for interviews after games. The NFL has already fined players in situations similar to Campbell. Take, for example, former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who once faced penalties of up to $50,000 for similar behavior.

Whether Will Campbell may face consequences remains to be seen. But Campbell also just chose to address the scrutiny that he has faced recently for his performance in the 2025 season.

“It comes with the job when you don’t perform,” Will Campbell said. “Obviously, I was picked high and paid a lot. People expect a certain thing. I expect more of myself. So, whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ Obviously, it sucks. But it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”

Ultimately, Campbell’s rookie season ended in disappointment, but it wasn’t without promise. Playing through a torn ligament shows toughness, but what his second year in New England looks like remains to be seen. Drake Maye clearly believes in Campbell, and that kind of locker-room support can go a long way. But if the Patriots want Maye to reach his full potential, they must prioritize investing in additional offensive line depth this offseason.