The Patriots went into the offseason with a decent list of players set to hit free agency, but not many of their best players from the 2025 season, which was a blessing for a team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
The problem is that they didn't retain some of their best performers, including pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, who signed a one-year prove-it deal and delivered beyond expectations. He led the defense in sacks and showed that the draft-bust label he earned from the Jaguars was inaccurate, prompting many fans to want to see him return for another year.
Because they didn't want to pay him the money he earned in an extension, Chaisson signed a one-year, $11.5 million deal with the Commanders, and the Patriots needed to find a replacement. They landed on Dre'Mont Jones, and it didn't take long for analysts to label him a downgrade.
That has continued months after his arrival, with ESPN's Bill Barnwell now deeming him the worst free agency signing New England made this offseason. It seems a bit premature to make such a claim, but Jones can use it as motivation to prove that the negativity is inaccurate.
Bill Barnwell comes down hard on the Patriots' top defensive signing this offseason
While discussing some of the best and worst signings of this year's free agency, Barnwell credited the Patriots for bulking up their offensive line, including in the draft, which was a major weakness during the 2025 season.
He couldn't praise them, however, for signing Jones, since he believes they would have been better off matching the Commanders' offer and keeping Chaisson for another season.
"Instead, they gave Jones $14.5 million in the first season of a three-year, $36.5 million pact. Jones is a good pass rusher and a solid player, and the Pats were able to get a two-year commitment, but he's also three years older than Chaisson and a more inconsistent run defender.
There's never any room for sentiment in New England, but it would have been nice to see the Patriots reward one of their developmental success stories from 2025, and there's a chance Chaisson's upward trajectory still had some room for growth."
He might be right about Chaisson likely continuing his upward trajectory after impressing during his lone season in New England, and there's a chance he will make them regret not offering him a new contract to stick around.
That could be true, but that wouldn't necessarily mean the decision to sign Jones was a mistake.
He might be older than Chaisson, and maybe not much more proven. But clearly, they like how he plays the game and offered him a contract accordingly. And as we know in the NFL, sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery or being coached by the right people to make all the difference in a player's performance.
It could be exactly what Jones needs, and the Patriots could bring out the best in him. We won't know until he takes the field, but even Chaisson didn't look fantastic at the start of the season, so he deserves time before we conclude he wasn't a good signing.
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