Patriots will have to pay up if they want to keep K’Lavon Chaisson

A year ago, the Patriots signed free agent pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson to a one-year, $3 million contract. That turned out to be a bargain — a bargain the Patriots won't get again.

Chaisson had the best season of his career in 2025, recording 7.5 sacks in the regular season and then adding three more in the postseason, and he's going to be highly sought after when free agency starts next week.

The 26-year-old Chaisson is No. 44 on our list of the Top 100 free agents in the NFL.

Mike Reiss of ESPN writes that Chaisson will probably command between $8 million and $11 million a year, either from the Patriots or some other team.

Chaisson was a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2020 after a standout career at LSU, but he never lived up to expectations in his four seasons in Jacksonville. He signed with the Panthers in 2024 but didn't even make their practice squad, then signed with the Raiders' practice squad in September of that year and got called up to the active roster in October. He played better than expected for the Raiders, which is what made the Patriots interested.

Now, after Chaisson's best NFL season, he's set to cash in, as either the Patriots make a long-term investment in him as a big part of their future, or some other team signs him away from the defending AFC champions.