New England Patriots
“Whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously it sucks.”
Will Campbell had a game to forget in Super Bowl LX. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
February 10, 2026 | 4:03 PM
3 minutes to read
Before he started fielding questions from the media on Tuesday during clear-out day in the Patriots locker room, left tackle Will Campbell opened his availability by offering up an apology.
Less than an hour after Campbell and his teammates walked off the field at Levi’s Stadium following a crushing 29-13 loss in Super Bowl LX, the rookie offensive lineman declined to speak to the media in New England’s somber locker room.
For Campbell, the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the pain was still too raw amid an improbable run that ended in calamity.
“[I] just had a lot of emotions, obviously, going after a tough loss, a long year. Just a lot of emotions come with that,” Campbell said to reporters, including Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald. “I just wanted to make sure that I had my head on properly before I said anything I didn’t want to say, anything that I didn’t need to say. And I know that can happen, especially with myself, whenever there’s emotions involved.”
Campbell picked a rough time to submit one of his worst performances of his young career.
The 22-year-old tackle was shredded by Seattle’s defense in Santa Clara, with Next Gen Stats knocking Campbell for a whopping 14 pressures allowed in Super Bowl LX. That stood as the most pressures allowed by any player in a game this season, including the playoffs.
In total, Drake Maye was sacked six times and hit on 11 other occasions on an evening where New England’s offense completely imploded.
Next Gen Stats attributed 14 QB Pressures Allowed to Will Campbell in Super Bowl LX – the most pressures allowed by any player in a game this season (including playoffs)@NextGenStats
— Jack Andrade (@RealJackAndrade) February 9, 2026
Campbell didn’t mince words when asked of his performance on Sunday, labeling it as “terrible.”
“It comes with the job. When you don’t perform — obviously I was picked high, paid a lot. So people expect a certain thing, and I expect more of myself,” Campbell told Callahan. “So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ I mean, obviously it sucks. But it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”
Campbell’s struggles down the stretch have raised questions over whether or not the young offensive lineman can function as franchise left tackle — with a move to left guard (while hindering his overall value) potentially allowing him to develop into an All-Pro talent.
Mike Vrabel shot down that discourse on Tuesday, once again reaffirming that Campell would remain as the team’s left tackle moving forward.
“Will’s 22 years old, he’s our left tackle,” Vrabel said. “He’ll get better, he’ll get stronger. … There’s plays he’d like to have back. We’re not moving Will to guard, or center, or to tight end, or anywhere else.”
Campbell had several other supporters in Foxborough on Tuesday, with Drake Maye giving his left tackle a vote of confidence despite what played out against Seattle on Sunday.
“It’s a pleasure going out there with Will every time. I know it’s probably been a long year for the rookies. A long year for Will,” Maye said of Campbell. “A long year for these guys to get adapted to the NFL.
“I think Will is a great case of somebody who experienced it all. Who experienced the ups and downs of the injury side of it. The long times where you don’t want to talk to the media, but you have to.”
Beyond the hope that Campbell will continue to develop into a reliable presence protecting Maye’s blind side with more reps, a clean bill of health will also serve Campbell well.
Campbell suffered an MCL injury in November that put him on injured reserve, forcing him to miss four games. Even though he returned in time for the playoffs, his play did dip — giving up four sacks in the postseason.
“It obviously wasn’t 100%,” Campbell said. “I mean, I don’t think when you tear a ligament in your knee, it’s not going to be how it was before, but I was healthy enough to go. I’m not going to say that it held me back, but yeah, it wasn’t the same as it was before, obviously. But I was good.”
Despite an ugly end to his rookie season, Campbell believes there’s far more positives that he can harp on as he tries to put Super Bowl LX in the rearview mirror.
“I don’t think one performance defines a season. I think I did some good things this year,” Campbell said. “Obviously, there’s room for growth in every aspect of my game. I’m 22 years old. I have a lot of room for growth in every aspect as a player, as a leader; whether that’s strength and conditioning, pass protection, run-blocking, whatever it might be. I have growth everywhere. I’m young. I’m learning.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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