The New England Patriots are in an excellent position. The squad sits at 10-2 and has been among the best teams in football this year, sporting a top MVP candidate at quarterback and one of the best run defenses in the league.
They hold ten picks in the first six rounds of the 2026 draft, and already re-signed Marcus Jones, who was the team's highest ticket player slated for free agency at the end of the year.
Now, New England has a few more lower-caliber free agents to retain should they choose. Jaylinn Hawkins has been excellent as a starting safety, Khyiris Tonga is a mainstay on one of the best run defenses in football, and Austin Hooper has played 50% or more snaps in ten of his eleven games this year.
While others are thought to be priorities to be re-signed, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report wagers that bringing back K'Lavon Chaisson should be the team's top priority.
K'Lavon Chaisson will be New England's top free agent during the 2026 offseason, but...
There's little doubt Chaisson, 26, is the team's top free agent. After the former first-round pick has just ten sacks in five seasons, he's broken out in his first year with New England, recording 45 pressures and notching 6.5 sacks. He's already had a career high in sacks and is on pace to be right around ten for the season.
Chaisson's running mate, Harold Landry, was signed to a much larger deal than the LSU product, who inked a one-year contract this offseason. The Patriots rank 20th in sacks, so while Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and the pair of edge rushers have been effective in getting pressures, they haven't gotten the QB on the ground as much as fans would have hoped.
Edge rushers are incredibly valuable, and if Chaisson finishes the year with ten or so sacks, he'll be in line for a strong payday. Last season, Landry finished with nine sacks in Tennessee and signed a deal worth $14.5 million a year. That may be a tad rich for Chaisson, given his limited career production, but $10-12 million seems likely.
Assuming that's the case, the Patriots should thank him for an excellent year and bid him adieu.
The Patriots should not re-sign K'Lavon Chaisson
Should he have the suitors I expect him to have, the Patriots should be in the market for other edge rushers. They are already giving Harold Landry decent money, and Chaisson was a very under-the-radar pickup.
If Chaisson were to return, there's no guarantee he would even reach the production he's had this season: he hasn't at any other point in his career. Even if he maintains the production, the Patriots haven't been elite at getting opposing QBs to the ground.
As an alternative, I'd suggest double-dipping on the edge, through both the free agency and the draft. Perhaps bringing in another player with a similar past to Chaisson could be beneficial. David Ojabo was a second-round pick by the Ravens in 2022, but has played only 27 games due to injury and has notched just 4.5 sacks in that time. Taking a flier on someone like the ex-Michigan Wolverine could pay dividends.
In the draft, looking for a player to upgrade the edge in the first two rounds could be beneficial. Romello Height of Texas Tech was mocked to the Patriots by PFF in the first round, but Alabama's LT Overton is also an option. In the second round, Gabe Jacas has nine sacks for Illinois, and Michigan's Derrick Moore has eleven.
By letting Chaisson walk and replacing him with a combination of say, Ojabo and Jacas, the Patriots have the opportunity to upgrade their pass rush for less money. It would also allow them to bring back other key players to their defense, like Hawkins, Tonga, and Jack Gibbens.
Chaisson's production this year has been solid and should be celebrated, but it's also noteworthy that the reclamation project worked. New England has a chance to nab a compensatory pick for Chaisson and retain a greater number of defensive contributors by allowing him to walk.