Heading into Tuesday’s OTAs, Will Campbell was one of only seven players drafted in the first round by NFL teams this year–and one of only two players picked in the Top 10–to have not signed a contract with his new team. By the end of business Tuesday, though, that changed, as the Patriots announced that Campbell had finally put pen to paper on his contract.
From the team’s official release: “The New England Patriots announced today the signing of first-round draft pick T Will Campbell. Terms of the contract were not announced.
“Campbell, 21, was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 4th overall pick out of Louisiana State. The 6-foot-6, 319-pounder, started all 12 games at left tackle last season and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the top lineman in the SEC and was a consensus first team All-American.”
Though the terms were not announced, the deal is for $43.7 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, who added that $28.4 million of the deal is a signing bonus.
Patriots Gambling on Drake Maye’s Blind Side
While it is relatively late in the process for a first-round pick to be unsigned, because the payout on the deals are predetermined by the league CBA, it’s not unusual for a few players and teams to take extra time to work out the size of the signing bonus and the mechanics of the contract. No. 2 pick Travis Hunter of Jacksonville has also yet to sign his new contract and, like Campbell, is still participating in OTAs.
Of all the additions that the Patriots made this offseason–which included $360 million in new spending–using the No. 4 pick on Campbell might be the most consequential decision for the organization. The Patriots have shored up the right side of the offensive line with the addition of tackle Morgan Moses and the hoped-for return to form of guard Mike Onwenu, but the left side, Drake Maye‘s blind side, remains a glaring question mark.
Not only is Campbell under close scrutiny, but so is left guard Cole Strange, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, who is in danger of losing his roster spot altogether. Strange tore a tendon in his left knee in Week 15 in 2023, and did not return to the team until December 2024.
Will Campbell Critical for Weak OL
Left guard, of course, is an easier spot to plug than left tackle. Two of the returning tackles the Patriots employed last year were among the lowest rated tackles in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Vederian Lowe had a PFF grade of 54.0, which was 69th out of 81 tackles in the league. Demontrey Jacobs rated a grade of 38.4 and was dead last, No. 81 of 81.
For Campbell, camp has been a so-far-so-good situation. Said line coach Doug Marrone, via Mike Reiss of ESPN: “We’re working a ton on details and fundamentals. He’s got a lot of reps; out here every day, doing everything he can, that’s all you can ask.”
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