Chaisson joined the Patriots as a free agent earlier this offseason.
As part of their efforts to revitalize a pass rush that fell short of expectations in 2024, the New England Patriots decided to open the checkbook this offseason. While a significant portion of the money went to Milton Williams and Harold Landry, the team also acquired K’Lavon Chaisson via a one-year, $3 million pact.
While less of a proven commodity than the others — despite being a former first-round draft pick — Chaisson will get an opportunity to prove himself as an impact player in New England. How does he want to do that?
By being a tone-setter and personifying what the Patriots want to do on the defensive side of the ball. The 25-year-old said so when asked about his play style during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.
“Just relentless — that’s the ultimate idea that I feel I want to portray, and the Patriots want to portray, really,” he said. “Non-stop, four quarters; if it takes a fifth quarter, we take it there. But it’s something that I embody. Just to be able to go every chance I get, just to be able to go non-stop.
“As a pass rusher you have an understanding that as much as you don’t want to settle, it takes one out of 60 plays to be a dominant pass rusher in this league. You get that going for 17 games, that’s a good setting that your team would be in.”
His pass rushing prowess is why Chaisson was picked 20th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, he never lived up to his draft status as a Jaguar: in 59 games over four seasons, he only registered five total sacks and was eventually not retained as a free agent in 2024.
Chaisson signed with the Carolina Panthers but was let go again after training camp, eventually ending up on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad. From there, he went on to have the best season of his career: serving as a designated pass rush opposite Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby, he registered five sacks and a forced fumble.
Chaisson credited Crosby’s presence as making things easier for him, but pointed toward new teammate Harold Landry potentially doing the same in New England. Regardless of circumstance, however, he too felt like his growth as a player contributed to his positive development as a Raider.
“The approach is obviously gradually progressed and kind of matured as the time went and you got a chance to be and see different things, and to be a part of different teams and coaches,” he explained. “I just kind of take every nugget that I got each year and just put it into my game.”