With Christian Barmore missing most of the year and the edge group dealing with all sorts of issues, the New England Patriots failed to generate a consistent pass rush in 2024. In order to right that particular ship, the team made some considerable investments over the course of this year’s offseason.
One of those included signing veteran K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency.
Hard facts
Name: K’Lavon Chaisson
Position: Defensive edge/Outside linebacker
Jersey number: 44
Opening day age: 26 (7/25/1999)
Measurements: 6’3”,
255 lbs, 32 1/4” arm length, 9 7/8” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars (2020-23), Carolina Panthers (2024), Las Vegas Raiders (2024), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: LSU (2017-19)
A five-star recruit coming out of North Shore High School in Galena Park, TX, Chaisson drew considerable interest on the scouting trail. He eventually decided to join LSU over offers from Texas, Oklahoma and Stanford, among others, and went on to spend his three-year college career in Baton Rouge.
During that time, he saw action in 26 games with 17 starts and registered a combined 92 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Earning All-SEC recognition in both of his healthy seasons as a Tiger (first team in 2019; freshman in 2017), Chaisson opted to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft in 2020. A highly-regarded edge option, he eventually heard his name called 20th overall in the first round.
Chaisson spent the entirety of his rookie contract with the Jaguars, but failed to live up to his draft status. Playing in 59 combined regular season and playoff games, he notched just five total sacks and later saw the fifth-year option in his deal declined. He ended up leaving Jacksonville as a free agent in 2024, but lasted only five months with his new team, the Panthers.
Chaisson later joined the Raiders on a one-year pact and managed to produce the best season of his career to date. His performance in Las Vegas set the stage to him joining the Patriots on a one-year, $3 million free agency deal.
Scouting report
Strengths: Chaisson offers solid size at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds and combines it with an explosive skillset at the edge. A true speed rusher, who has the burst, length and active hands to put pressure on offensive linemen, he knows how to bend the corner and find the fastest way to the quarterback. However, he also can get into opponents’ chests and convert his speed into raw power at the point of attack.
RDE K'Lavon Chaisson's 2024 sacks pic.twitter.com/OBpFzjBHes
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) March 13, 2025
While explosiveness is the name of his game, Chaisson has shown the ability to stay disciplined with his eyes. This together with his linear speed and change of direction allows him to also be a potent stunt rusher and turn to pursuit defender in an instant. Additionally, he is willing to abort his rush and get his hands up to deflect pass attempts. He also has shown growth as a run defender through his career, keeping his feet moving while engaged and wrapping up runners when he gets the chance.
K'Lavon Chaisson (RDE) stuffing the run pic.twitter.com/XHFyUqoUVr
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) March 14, 2025
Weaknesses: Even though his production looked significantly better in 2024 and he showed flashes of his first-round talent, Chaisson continues to struggle with consistency as both a pass rusher and a run defender. At times, he gets swallowed up by opposing blockers or moved off his rush arc, creating escape lanes for passers to exploit. He also is a tad slow to get off blocks at times, especially versus the run, resulting in unfinished tackle attempts.
There also is the question of how much the presence of four-time Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby on the other side helped him bounce back last season. Furthermore, penalties have been an issue as of late: he was flagged a total of seven times in 2024, with four of those penalties accepted by the offense.
2024 review
Stats: 15 games (4 starts) | 508 defensive snaps (45.6%), 16 special teams snaps (3.4%) | 32 tackles, 10 missed tackles (23.8%), 7 TFLs, 1 forced fumble | 29 quarterback pressures (5 sacks, 5 hits, 19 hurries) | 7 targets, 7 catches surrendered (100%), 82 yards, 1 INT | 7 penalties (3 declined)
Season recap: The writing was on the wall for Chaisson heading toward the 2024 free agency period. His four seasons with the Jaguars were a disappointment, and a fresh start was best for both sides. The former first-round draft pick found his in Carolina, where he signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract in March.
Chaisson spent the entire offseason, training camp and preseason with the Panthers but ultimately failed to crack an edge rotation that ended up as one of the least productive in football in 2024. After his release in early September, his future in the NFL was in serious question — that was until the Raiders threw him a lifeline by signing him to their practice squad.
Chaisson spent the first month of the season on Las Vegas’ developmental roster. He was called up to the game day squad on three occasions and played 43 total snaps in his opportunities. In early October, he was officially promoted to the 53-man team.
From that point on, he proved himself a valuable member of Las Vegas’ edge rotation. Playing 54.1 percent of defensive snaps between Weeks 5 and 18 — and maxing out at a career best 98.3 percent in Week 15 versus Atlanta — he started four contests and registered all five of his sacks during that span (including four over his final six games). Chaisson also forced his first career fumble and registered his first career interception.
While he was far from perfect (his aforementioned seven penalties topped the Raiders’ defense in 2024, for example), Chaisson went from the lowest to arguably the highest point of his NFL career within the span of a few months. His 2024 campaign can therefore still be classified as a success relative to his previous standards.
2025 preview
Position: Pass rush ED | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2025
What will be his role? As noted above, the Patriots struggled to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2024 and Chaisson should provide some help in that regard. He projects as a pass-first defender and situational pass rusher from the defensive edge — playing mostly from the 5-technique spot out — similar to how the team used Joshua Uche the last few seasons. While not quite the same player type, Chaisson’s role in 2025 could bring back memories of the former second-round draft pick.
What is his growth potential? Even hough he is entering his sixth season in the league, Chaisson has potential for development; his 2024 season is definitive proof of that. If he can become more consistent across the board and particularly against the run, he could evolve into a more nuanced player at the edge — one capable of providing additional value on early downs.
Does he have positional versatility? Chaisson is a good athlete but not necessarily a versatile one. A vast majority of his snaps both in Jacksonville and Las Vegas have come on the edge, with only a handful seeing him move inside or drop into coverage. He did see plenty of special teams snap toward the tail-end of his Jaguars career — he was a four-unit contributor in 2022 and 2023 — but was on the field for only 16 kicking game snaps (5 punt return plus 11 field goal/extra point block) as a Raider.
What is his salary cap situation? The one-year contract Chaisson signed with the Patriots in March came with a $3.94 million cap hit. That number consists of a fully-guaranteed $1.4 million salary, a fully-guaranteed $1 million signing bonus proration, and up to $510,000 worth of roster bonuses (including $450,000 considered likely to be earned). In addition, it features a $90,000 workout bonus and $1 million in incentives also of the LTBE variety.
How safe is his roster spot? Based on his contract structure and especially his usage during the open part of the offseason program, Chaisson looks like a realistic option to make the Patriots’ roster in 2025. While he still needs to prove himself worthy of a spot in full pads, he consistently served as a top-three edge alongside Keion White and Harold Landry in the spring.
Summary: If Chaisson can pick up where he left off at the end of the 2024 season, he should have an active hand in revitalizing New England’s pass rush this year. While he likely will not be counted on to be the main man — White and Landry are ahead of him on the depth chart — he has what it takes to become a valuable presence as a package player.
What do you think about K’Lavon Chaisson heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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