Despite falling to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, the Patriots had an unexpectedly impressive season that immediately made them legitimate contenders again.
They had swiftly fallen to the bottom of the league over the last five years, but in Year 1 under Mike Vrabel, they quickly turned things around and became the league's worst nightmare.
They were fortunate to enter free agency knowing almost all of their star players would remain on the roster for the 2026 season. But they had a handful of stars they could lose, and the team would presumably suffer in their absence, most notably pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson.
He signed a one-year prove-it deal for the 2025 season and put together the best year of his career, becoming the No. 2 behind Harold Landry and racking up seven sacks in the regular season. He was consistently present throughout the playoffs and seemed to earn a new contract, only for the Patriots to let him walk in free agency and sign with the Commanders instead.
Even worse, he agreed to a very reasonable one-year deal for $11 million, which they could have afforded. And now, from what he's been doing at training camp, Chaisson is already proving to have been a major loss for New England, and it might be a decision they regret in no time.
K'Lavon Chaisson is going to play a vital role in the Commanders' defense in 2026
It's far from surprising to hear reports that Chaisson is standing out at Commanders' training camp, especially since he's showing a physicality that any defense would love to have.
But it does hurt to see what the Patriots lost in a player who proved he could be a playmaker for them. It would've been great to see what more he could do during a more difficult season, especially since there are so many questions still surrounding the current pass rushers in New England.
“I think physicality is what this team embodies and embraces.”
— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) August 4, 2026
K’Lavon Chaisson talked with @GrantPaulsen after practice. pic.twitter.com/EOlm0WjolX
With Harold Landry sidelined to start training camp and his return up in the air, and Gabe Jacas just joining the team for the first time last week since he attended rookie minicamp in the spring, it looks like the players who were projected to be the leading pass rushers are falling behind, and that's concerning for an already weakened group.
Chaisson would've brought some stability to the defensive line and stepped up big in Landry's absence.
Instead, he's going to bring the Commanders' defense to the next level and build upon the impressive year he had with the Patriots in 2025, and it feels like a near guarantee that they'll miss him fairly quickly.
If that does happen, they might have another chance at him next offseason, since he is expected to become a free agent again. Obviously, it all depends on how he performs in Washington and whether Jacas can become the player Eliot Wolf and Co. believe he can be, and then maybe we can officially move on from dreaming about Chaisson's return.
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