Getty Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell.
De’Vondre Campbell seems to still hold a grudge against the Green Bay Packers after how things ended between him and the franchise earlier this month.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers are signing Campbell — a 2022 first-team All-Pro — to a one-year contract for the 2024 season. The Packers had released him with a post-June 1 destination on March 13, a move that will create roughly $10.57 million in delayed salary-cap relief once the June 2 arrives.
Before news broke about his signing, though, Campbell jumped on his Instagram and took the opportunity to throw a little shade at his former 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.”
De’Vondre Campbell Has Called Out Packers Before
This is not Campbell’s first time airing his frustrations with the Packers on social media. In December, he blasted the team on X following their Week 15 loss to Tampa Bay and wrote that he is “not playing through injuries anymore cause when s*** goes wrong they always use it against you.” The team did not list him on the injury report for the game.
Afterward, the Packers added him to the injury report with a neck injury for Week 16 and held him out of practice for the next two weeks as he recovered. He returned to practice as a full participant in Week 18, but the team did not remove him completely from the injury report until their divisional-round playoff game against the 49ers.
Neither Campbell nor head coach Matt LaFleur ended up providing any further details about his social media outburst. LaFleur simply said they decided to give him time to get his body right and empathized with his frustrations over not being at full health. Still, it cast a small cloud over their relationship and Campbell’s future with the team.
Packers Had Easy Decision With De’Vondre Campbell
The Packers’ decision to release Campbell did not come as a major surprise. He went from discount veteran signing to All-Pro for them in 2021, earning himself a five-year, $50 million contract extension with the team during the 2022 offseason. During their most recent campaign in 2023, though, he missed six games with injuries and struggled to play consistently for a defense that, as a whole, looked lost for much of the season.
The Packers could have found a way to keep Campbell, but they lacked motive. Quay Walker, a 2022 first-round pick, is on the verge of stardom after a strong second year. Isaiah McDuffie also showed he can be an effective No. 2 linebacker for their defense after playing well in relief of Campbell during the 2023 season. They had an easy call.
With the 49ers, Campbell will have a chance to replace star Dre Greenlaw — who tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl — to begin the 2024 season. He is, however, their second choice after they originally agreed to terms with Eric Kendricks only for him to change his mind and instead sign a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
Let’s see if the 49ers can use him better, at least by Campbell’s standards.