Former Packers defensive player says he has fallen in love with football again after leaving Green Bay
Off-ball linebacker De'Vondre Campbell hasn't shied away from saying that his last year in Green Bay was rough. The relationship started well, with Campbell having a career year in 2021 and making the First-Team All-Pro. However, the situation got progressively worse, and he complained about his usage and playing through injuries last season. After being […]
Off-ball linebacker De'Vondre Campbell hasn't shied away from saying that his last year in Green Bay was rough. The relationship started well, with Campbell having a career year in 2021 and making the First-Team All-Pro. However, the situation got progressively worse, and he complained about his usage and playing through injuries last season.
After being released by the Packers earlier this offseason, De'Vondre Campbell signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. Now, he is expected to start while Dre Greenlaw recovers from an Achilles injury. And Campbell seems to be happy again.
"The situation I was in was making me lose my love for the game," Campbell wrote on social media.
Scheme
Throughout last season, De'Vondre Campbell went on social media to complain about his usage in Green Bay.
"Someone is about to get a great football player that’s been badly misused," he wrote.
That happened after the player was criticized for his performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 15. Based on his comments, he tried to play through injury, which led to the suboptimal level of play.
"Not going out my way anymore and I'm not playing through injuries anymore cause when s*** goes wrong, they always use it against you.” Campbell added. "I'm treating everyone accordingly and giving them the same energy they giving me. Focus on yourself and your mental 59 you owe it to yourself."
After that game, Campbell was listed with a shoulder injury and missed two games, coming back in time to play against the Chicago Bears in week 18 and in the playoffs.
De'Vondre Campbell finished the season with a 65.3 PFF grade, the worst of his time in Green Bay — it was 84.7 in 2021 and 75.6 in 2022. However, it's still a curious situation, because Campbell actually played the best football of his career in Green Bay — whether he likes Joe Barry's system or not.
Previously, he had only one season with a PFF grade of 60 or higher — in 2017. In 2020, for the Arizona Cardinals, his grade was 49.0, which led to him signing with the Packers for $2 million in 2021. Then, he re-signed on a five-year, $50 million contract.
And his circumstances looked fine less than a year ago.
Released by the Packers, he agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers — ironically, Green Bay hired Jeff Hafley and will run a scheme similar to what the 49ers execute.
De’Vondre Campbell drags former Packers coach Joe Barry in Twitter rant
De'Vondre Campbell earned a first-team All-Pro nod with the Green Bay Packers and had one of the better stretches in his career from 2021-2023, but that quickly ended when the team released him a few days ago. It was a combination of many things, mainly Campbell's salary, age, and recent injury history that caused him […]
