The Patriots class of free agents this past offseason wasn't particularly impressive and didn't generate much fan demand to re-sign much of the expected departing talent. One player, however, became a fan favorite after he put together the best season of his career in 2025, leading many to hope he would get a new deal to stay in New England.
K'Lavon Chaisson signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Patriots during the 2025 offseason, coming off a solid year with the Raiders but still with plenty to prove. The Patriots needed help with their pass rush, and they viewed him as the right addition, which turned out to be right.
The 2020 first-round pick recorded 31 combined tackles, 10 for a loss, 18 quarterback hits, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, and 7.5 sacks, the second most on the team.
He quickly became an integral part of their defensive line and proved he could fill that role, but Eliot Wolf and Co. decided he wasn't worth keeping around. So he signed a one-year deal with the Commanders instead.
Going into the trade deadline, he was considered a trade candidate, putting him on nearly every Patriots wishlist, only for them to pass on the opportunity and keep watching Chaisson thrive in Washington.
The Patriots should have called the Commanders about K'Lavon Chaisson
With a seemingly bigger role on the Commanders' defense, Chaisson is already on pace to replicate, if not surpass, last year's performance in 2026.
Through 8 games, he's recorded 22 combined tackles, 4 for a loss, 11 quarterback hits, 3 forced fumbles, and 3.5 sacks. With 9 more games to go, he could easily put together the best season of his career, topping his one season with the Patriots.
That would make their decision not to re-sign him look even worse, especially given that they chose to stick with Harold Landry, who hasn't been taken off the Physically Unable to Perform list since he was placed there in late July.
And although they've had some unexpected luck with Gabe Jacas and Elijah Ponder as the leading pass rushers this year, they're still less experienced than Chaisson, whose production has been sorely missed in Foxboro and will continue to be when they face more mobile quarterbacks for the rest of the season.
At the very least, after hearing whispers that he might be up for trade before Tuesday's deadline, the front office should've called Washington to inquire and maybe make an offer.
The pass rush isn't the neediest group going into Week 10, but they're still a bit more vulnerable than they'd like at this point in the season, and Chaisson would be an immediate fix who likely wouldn't have cost much to bring back on the team.
But Wolf decided not to make any trades before the deadline, so if they like what they see from Chaisson, they'll have to wait until free agency next year to see if he'd be interested in returning. That is, if the Commanders choose not to offer an extension before that.
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