In his short time as a member of the Patriots, teammates, coaches and members of the organization have been ebullient about the way the No. 4 overall pick has fit with the organization. He has been both blunt and enthusiastic, perhaps to a surprising extent considering he is joining a 4-13 team, and that’s endeared him to folks in Foxborough.
Campbell won a lot of hearts and minds on draft night when he famously said he would die protecting second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Asked about that later, Campbell responded, “I mean, that’s my quarterback. So, I’m just super excited to continue to build the relationship with him, get to know each other as people. It’s something I’m looking forward to. I’m a quarterback guy. I care about him a lot off the field and on the field. We were able to talk. He met my family, so that was pretty cool. We just talked for a little bit.”
Patriots Need to Finalize Will Campbell Contract
So, yes, everybody loves Will Campbell these days. Everybody except, that is, the bean-counters with the team, because as we sit on June 1 of this offseason, Campbell remains unsigned.
Now, it is not worth panicking over, no doubt. But it’s still odd that the Patriots, who clearly became committed to drafting Campbell as the predraft process went on, remain unable to come to terms on a mostly standard rookie deal for Campbell.
But, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported some previously unknown details about why no deal has come to be yet, at a time when 25 of 32 first-rounders are signed: “Left tackle Will Campbell, the No. 4 pick in the draft, is one of seven first-round picks yet to sign his contract. The sides are working through details on cash flow, according to sources familiar with the talks.”
Campbell is in pretty good position to dictate terms to the Patriots. While the team made moves to upgrade the offensive line as a whole, they’re still decidedly lacking in depth at left tackle. There will be a new center replacing David Andrews, while Morgan Moses takes over at right tackle. And the team hopes that right guard Michael Onwenu and left guard Cole Strange return to top form.
But the success of all the team’s line maneuvering still figures to come down to Campbell’s ability to hold down the left tackle spot. It is, after all, a steep drop from what the Patriots hope Campbell can do at left tackle and what they know journeyman backup Vederian Lowe can’t do at the position.
