After the way his relationship with the Green Bay Packers ended earlier this month, De’Vondre Campbell appears to still have animosity toward the team.
The San Francisco 49ers are signing Campbell, a 2022 first-team All-Pro, to a one-year contract for the 2024 campaign, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. On March 13, the Packers released him with a post-June 1 destination; once the June 2 arrives, this move will result in approximately $10.57 million in delayed salary-cap relief.
However, Campbell hopped on Instagram before word of his contract spread and used the platform to make a slight against his old team in Green Bay.
“Someone is about to get a great football player that’s been badly misused,” Campbell wrote in his IG story on March 15. “O well, let’s get it though.”
Before, De’Vondre Campbell Has Called Out the Packers
Campbell has already expressed his dissatisfaction with the Packers on social media. After the team’s Week 15 loss to Tampa Bay, he attacked the team on X in December, saying that he was “not playing through injuries anymore because when s*** goes wrong they always use it against you.” He was not included on the team’s game injury report.
Subsequently, the Packers listed him as having a neck injury for Week 16 and kept him out of practice for the following two weeks while he healed. He returned to practice as a full participant in Week 18, but the team did not fully remove him from the injury report until their playoff game against the 49ers in the divisional round. Neither Campbell nor head coach Matt LaFleur ultimately disclosed any additional information regarding his outburst on social media; LaFleur merely stated that they chose to give him time to heal his body and understood his frustrations at not being fully recovered. Nevertheless, it created a cloud over their relationship and Campbell’s future with the team.
With De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers made an easy decision.
It was not shocking in the slightest that Campbell was released by the Packers. During the 2022 offseason, he earned a five-year, $50 million contract extension with the team, having gone from being a cheap veteran signing to an All-Pro for them in 2021. However, he missed six games due to injury during their most recent campaign in 2023, and he had trouble playing regularly for a defense that, for the most of the season, appeared disoriented.
The Packers had no incentive, but they could have managed to hold onto Campbell. Following a stellar sophomore campaign, Quay Walker, a 2022 first-round selection, is on the cusp of stardom. After performing admirably in Campbell’s place throughout the 2023 campaign, Isaiah McDuffie further demonstrated his ability to be a productive No. 2 linebacker for their defense. Their call was simple.
Beginning with the 2024 season, Campbell will have the opportunity to start in place of standout Dre Greenlaw, who tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl, with the 49ers. He is, nevertheless, their backup option because they had previously accepted Erik Kendricks’ conditions, but he decided to sign a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys instead.
Let’s see whether the 49ers—at least by Campbell’s standards—can make better use of him.
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