For most Patriots, the Super Bowl loss was just a painful end to a season. For rookie Will Campbell, it was the start of a personal crisis that risked his reputation and potentially his wallet. As the game unraveled, Campbell’s frustration became impossible to hide. He chose to ignore the media following the loss, and that decision quickly drew heavy scrutiny. Now, the young tackle has finally addressed the reasons for not speaking with reporters after the Super Bowl.

“When I get emotional, I tend to have no mind, and that’s not the way that I need to approach this thing,” Campbell told MassLive on Tuesday. “I know myself, and if I would have spoken after, I would have said something that I didn’t need to say. So, I slept on it, I watched it. I know what I got to get better at and move on.”

The Patriots entered Levi’s Stadium as clear underdogs. Much of that expectation centered on the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense. And that narrative played out almost exactly as predicted on Sunday, February 8. Seattle’s defense shut New England out for the first three quarters and consistently collapsed the pocket around Maye. But what shocked fans was how inefficient Campbell was.

According to ESPN Analytics, Campbell entered the Super Bowl ranked 29th out of 30 qualified tackles this postseason in Pass Block Win Rate, sitting at just 83.6%. In fact, the rookie lineman was part of an offensive front that allowed Maye to take 21 sacks during the postseason alone. While Campbell wasn’t the sole reason the Patriots came up short, he was undeniably part of the problem.

Maye finished the night going 27-of-43 for 295 yards and two touchdowns. But the Seahawks forced three turnovers and sacked him six times, which is where Campbell’s night came into sharp focus as he surrendered a season-high 14 quarterback pressures, contributing to the three turnovers and six sacks Maye endured.

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“I think you learn a lot just from not even just this game from this season,” Campbell said. “You understand what it takes to get there. Now, I think the big thing is: you got a bunch of young dudes who have seen what it takes and understand how hard it is to get there. I think that’ll be good for us. You just learn that your best football has to be played when it’s needed, and we didn’t do that, and we can’t change it now, but we can learn from it.”

The offensive line’s struggles were reflected on the scoreboard, as the Patriots managed only 13 points and converted just six of 15 third downs, leaving Maye with little support. While Maye took a fair share of criticism for his performance, the offensive line around him did little to help the quarterback.

That context helps explain why Campbell stayed away from the media afterward, choosing instead to regroup mentally.

“It comes with the job when you don’t perform,” Campbell said of the criticism he faced afterward. “Obviously, I was picked high, paid a lot, so people expect a certain thing, and I expect more myself. So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously it s-cks, but it doesn’t s-ck for anyone more than it s-cks for me.”

Even so, his absence could lead to consequences. League officials could review Campbell’s conduct to determine whether a fine is warranted. Under the NFL’s media policy, locker rooms must be opened, and players are contractually required to make themselves available to reporters.

The league has a clear history in these situations. Most notably, former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was repeatedly fined for similar behavior, with some penalties reaching $50,000. While the league weighs a fine for his post-game silence, new details have emerged that shed light on Campbell’s struggles and his emotional state, a significant injury he carried throughout the postseason.

An undisclosed injury plagued Campbell’s postseason run

After the Patriots selected Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, he was expected to become the long-term protector of Drake Maye’s blindside. In his rookie season, Campbell appeared in 13 games and logged 783 offensive snaps. However, the rookie tackle suffered a knee injury just before the postseason began.

He suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 23 and subsequently missed four games before returning for New England’s season finale. NFL insider Albert Breer even described the injury as “very significant,” though Campbell managed to play through it for the remainder of the season.

However, playing with a ligament tear through the final four postseason games eventually took a toll. Playing with a torn ligament became evident in the playoffs, where he allowed 29 pressures, over half his regular-season total, and earned his worst PFF grades of the year when it mattered most

Despite that, Campbell was on the field for 100% of the offensive snaps throughout the postseason. Still, his struggles against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl were hard to overlook. After helping the Patriots go 3–0 earlier in the playoffs, Campbell’s rookie campaign concluded with a Super Bowl loss, and the 22-year-old is determined to learn from this setback.

“I slept on it, I watched it,” he said. “I know what I got to get better at and I’ll move on.”

Even head coach Mike Vrabel reiterated that the Patriots are firmly behind Campbell.

“You get judged. You get scrutinized,” Vrabel said. “Will’s 22 years old. He’s our left tackle. He’ll get better. He’ll get stronger. Moments where he played well, moments where he blocked a guy, there’s plays he’d like to have back, but we’re not moving Will to guard or to center or to tight end or to anywhere else.”

How Campbell and the Patriots manage his recovery will be a critical factor in determining if the franchise tackle can bounce back from his disappointing Super Bowl performance.