It seems De’Vondre Campbell has joined the ever growing list of disgruntled former Green Bay Packers.
“Someone is about to get a great football player that’s been badly misused,” Campbell posted on his social media shortly after being released from the team and his 5 year $50 million dollar deal.
His latest words come just a few months after his last outburst is which he seemingly accused the organization of not showing him the same respect he had shown them.
“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 said on social. “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.” Immediately following that incident, Campbell was inactive in weeks 16 and 17 and then sparsely used in the playoffs.
As Campbell assumes his new role with the San Francisco 49ers there are two ways fans can view Campbell’s recent words.
One, this is just another player who, perhaps justifiably, is taking issue with the business side of football. And when it comes to that side, the Packers are usually on the harsher end of the spectrum. Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, and many others have all received some version of similar treatment on their way out the door. Even the most diehard Packers fans can admit that the organization is a little rough around the edges as its formerly important players leave. But that’s football. The Packers gave him a big deal, he was often inured and underperformed…story over.
Or two, Campbell has an extra amount of validity in his criticisms. When talking about his misuse he’s likely discussing the same villain that every Packers fan his fumed about over the last few years, Joe Barry.
While it’s true that Campbell had had a pretty unremarkable career leading up to his arrival in Green Bay, much of that he attributed to not being allowed to focus on a sole position with any of his previous teams. After his all-pro season in 2021, he told Matt Schneidman of The Athletic that he owed most of his success to that opportunity. “I was like, the only way I will come is if you let me do this and only this. I don’t want play SAM, MIKE and WILL … I had one job responsibility here that allowed me to excel week-in and week-out rather than going into a game plan where you’re playing three or four different positions,” he told Schneidman.
It appears as Barry was struggling to find a way to call his defense that opportunity changed.
You could easily look at it and say that Green Bay made Campbell who he was, but his new situation in San Francisco will tell the real tale. If his play resumes to a high level it will be another pile of blame to heap on Joe Barry’s already overfilled failure wagon.
Perhaps the real takeaway here should be that it’s time to start holding Matt Lafleur more accountable for his coaching staff. This is a team that is poised to be potentially very special over the next few seasons, and if Jeff Hafley or any other coach on the roster isn’t getting the most out of his players, and it becomes as apparent as it was with Joe Barry, we shouldn’t have to wait multiple years for the head coach to finally make a decision.
