The New England Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks was painful, no doubt about it. But for rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell, it carried extra weight for all the wrong reasons. Campbell and the Patriots’ offensive line struggled badly to protect Drake Maye. And as the game unraveled, the frustration became impossible to hide. Campbell chose to ignore the media following the loss, and that decision quickly drew heavy scrutiny.

Fast forward to now, and the young tackle has addressed it. According to Mark Daniels, Campbell has apologized for not speaking with reporters after the Super Bowl. He explained that he needed time to get his head straight. And given how the game played out, it’s not hard to understand why he avoided the spotlight after such a disappointing performance on the biggest stage.

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.

Maye finished the night going 27-of-43 for 285 yards and two touchdowns. But the Seahawks forced three turnovers and sacked him six times, which is where Campbell’s night comes sharply into focus. According to Next Gen Stats, Campbell surrendered 14 quarterback pressures. It’s the most allowed by any individual player in a single game across the entire 2025 season.

ESPN Analytics painted a similar picture. Campbell entered the Super Bowl ranked 29th out of 30 qualified tackles this postseason in Pass Block Win Rate, sitting at just 83.6%. 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.

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That context helps explain why Campbell stayed away from the media afterward, choosing instead to regroup mentally. Even so, his absence may not go without consequences. League officials are now expected to 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. Whether the NFL takes comparable action with Campbell remains to be seen in the coming days. What is already clear, though, is that Campbell has also acknowledged he played through the postseason while dealing with an injury.

Will Campbell played with a knee injury in the postseason

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, playing 93.5% of the Patriots’ total offensive snaps. However, the rookie tackle suffered a knee injury just before the postseason began.

For added context, Campbell spoke to the media for the first time following the Super Bowl loss after declining to do so on Sunday. Along with issuing an apology, he revealed that he tore a ligament in his knee prior to the start of the playoffs. That disclosure confirmed the rookie offensive tackle played through the final four postseason games with a significant knee injury.

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. In the end, after helping the Patriots go 3–0 earlier in the playoffs, Campbell’s rookie campaign concluded with a Super Bowl loss. What his second season looks like, and how New England ultimately manages and addresses his knee injury, will be one of the storylines to monitor as the offseason unfolds.