The New England Patriots are a team led by a veteran group on defense. It’s the way that head coach Mike Vrabel designed his team, knowing that a veteran-led defense would support the offense with a second-year quarterback under center. It’s been the defensive line that’s gotten a lot of the shine throughout the season, and deservingly so, but a player that’s gone under the radar is veteran linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson, who has arguably been one of the most consistent and productive players on the defense this season.
This past offseason, Chaisson signed a one-year, "prove-it" contract worth $3 million. The former first-round pick proved himself by producing the best season of his career, which he extended into the playoffs by showcasing himself as an essential part of New England’s defense this season and moving forward to next season. Chaisson finished the season with 31 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and had 18 hits on the quarterback in the regular season. This level of play earned him all of his contract incentives, making his contract worth $5 million as a low-risk, high-reward situation for the Patriots.
It is in the playoffs, though, where Chaisson is making a name for himself. As Vrabel said numerous times leading to the playoffs: “the big dogs come out in January,” and that’s exactly what Chaisson is doing in the playoffs. In their two games, Chaisson has six total tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, and seven hits on the quarterback. Furthermore, he’s made a game-changing play in both games to lead the Patriots' defense.
In the wild-card round against the Los Angeles Chargers, Chaisson stripped-sacked quarterback Justin Herbert midway through the fourth quarter. It was recovered by the Patriots and sealed their 16-3 victory. The following week, in the Divisional round against the Houston Texans, Chaisson hit quarterback C.J. Stroud, which led to Marcus Jones’ interception being returned for a touchdown.
Chaisson became an integral part of the Patriots’ defense as the season progressed and the team started to form. In the offseason, Chaisson said he hopes he remains in New England long term, as he’s on his third team in six years, and he enjoys playing for Vrabel. He wants to have a place he can call his home, and it might just be with the Patriots after the way he’s performed in the playoffs.
K’Lavon Chaisson Deserves to Be Re-Signed by Patriots
Next season, Chaisson will enter his seventh campaign in the NFL at 27 years old, while being on three different teams during that span. According to Spotrac, there isn’t a current market value for Chaisson in the upcoming 2026 free agent class. However, based on some of the contracts for players in his situation, Chaisson should be in the market for a significant pay increase, nearing $15-20 million per year.
It would be wise for the Patriots to re-sign Chaisson to a long-term deal, keeping him in New England as the anchor of the defense as a dominant edge rusher. He has already proven that he can play well in this system, and as the defense is the stronger side of the team, retaining Chaisson seems like a no-brainer for the Patriots. Not only would he help keep what is already working intact, but he will help create a consistent defense from a personnel standpoint.