FOXBOROUGH – In the first couple of days of NFL free agency, the Patriots made a flurry of moves. The team was quick to sign veterans such as Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Morgan Moses, and Robert Spillane.
During that week, the team had extended dialogue with K’Lavon Chaisson. After an elongated negotiation period, the veteran edge rusher opted to sign a 1-year contract to come to New England.
Little did anyone know at the time, but that ended up being one of the best deals of the offseason for Mike Vrabel’s team. This season, Chaisson put up career-best numbers for the defense. On Sunday night, the veteran was dominant in the Patriots’ wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
“KC’s one of those players that have been in a couple different places and was trying to make the best decision for him and his family and his career, which I can appreciate,” Vrabel said on Monday. “So back and forth, and there was talks and conversations, and glad he was willing to join us. Glad he’s had success, and he has done a great job, and we’ll need all those efforts moving forward, but he’s into it.
“He’s here a lot and fought through the bumps and the bruises of an NFL season, and all the credit goes to him. But that wasn’t something that was just cemented on one day. It was conversations as we work through free agency and what his plans were and the vision that we had for him.”
The situation worked out better than anyone outside of Gillette Stadium predicted.
A first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, Chaisson didn’t live up to his draft status to start his NFL career. In his first four seasons, he played in 57 games, making 11 starts to go with five total sacks.
Last season, Chaisson signed with the Carolina Panthers, but was surprisingly cut at the end of training camp. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad and was later signed to their active roster.
Chaisson finished out the 2024 season on a high note with a career-best five sacks. That led him to New England, where he signed a 1-year, $5 million deal.
Chaisson started as a backup for the Patriots this offseason, but was quick to bypass Keion White on the depth chart. The 26-year-old finished this season with a career-high 7.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits. On Sunday night, he tortured the Chargers’ offensive line, sacking Justin Herbert twice, including a pivotal strip sack in the fourth quarter.
Vrabel said the most impressive thing about Chaisson, however, is that despite his success on defense, he’s still willing to commit himself to play special teams.
“Everybody has a different journey to this career in the NFL, and I think he’s worked really hard,” Vrabel said. “I think he plays hard. I think his motor runs hot. I think he has a good get-off, multiple moves. I think (Mike Smith) has worked hard with that entire group. Back to training camp and KC’s willingness to play special teams, to play on a punt team for us. He played a lot of snaps when guys were banged up, and then he kind of got banged up, and he didn’t ask to be taken off from the punt team.
“… I think that’s probably been the thing that’s impressed me the most, was his willingness to be a part of the special teams and what we’re doing on fourth down and how important that is.”
