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A breakout leader for the New England Patriots is “not a guarantee” to return in 2026 NFL free agency.
Successfully plundering NFL free agency paid huge dividends for the New England Patriots in 2025, but they could be set to lose a breakout member of last year’s free-agent class before the 2026 market opens, a player coming off a career season who “wants to get paid” and is “not a guarantee” to return to Gillette Stadium.
That’s the word on edge-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, who finally looked like a first-round draft pick last season. Chaisson helped himself to 7.5 sacks, good for second-most on a much-improved defense, but “Although the team would like K’Lavon Chaisson back, it’s not a guarantee he’ll return to New England, as it’s expected he’ll have a robust free agent market. As one league source said, ‘Chaisson’s looking to get paid,’” per MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian and Mark Daniels.
The intel comes from the annual Scouting Combine, and uncertainty about Chaisson’s future only adds to the reason edge-rusher is a pressing need for the Pats this offseason. Daniels and Guregian confirmed as much when they revealed “Our sources tell us the Patriots believe edge rusher is the team’s biggest priority this offseason. The Patriots are expected to be suitors in the veteran free agent market as well as the draft.”
They are “looking to reload the depth chart,” but the Patriots don’t necessarily need to make another narrative-changing investment in an established quarterback hunter.
Not when a Combine monster who could be available on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft fits the profile head coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Eliot Wolf covet on the edge.
K’Lavon Chaisson Rewarded Patriots Free Agency Plan
Vrabel and Wolf weren’t shy about spending owner Robert Kraft’s dollars during the last free-agency cycle, but they spread the cash in smart ways. There were market-breaking deals, like the $104 million handed to defensive tackle Milton Williams, but the Patriots also made room for taking fliers on players like Chaisson, who needed a chance to revive his career.
The edge defender taken 20th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2020, had never emerged as a dominant source of pressure. Things changed in New England, where Chaisson took advantage of the talent at the interior of the Pats’ defensive line and took his game up a level, particularly during the postseason run to Super Bowl LX.
Plays like this sack and forced fumble against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild-Card round are why Chaisson could have a healthy market this offseason.
It’s not as if the Patriots weren’t warned Chaisson was likely to have plenty of suitors. Fortunately, the team can take another gamble to replace him by following the same template a new regime established at edge-rusher a year ago.
Combine Monster Can Solve Edge-Rusher Problem
Restocking on the edges can wait for the middle to late rounds of the upcoming draft if the Patriots believe strongly enough in the talents of UCF star Malachi Lawrence. The latter was highlighted by Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar as a potential draft steal after he “posted the second-best relative athletic score among the edge rushers who participated in Indy (9.90 out of 10). At 6-4, 253 pounds, Lawrence fell right into the Patriots size thresholds and he then dazzled with a 4.52s 40-yard dash with a blazing 1.59s 10-yard split (87th percentile). As his athletic testing can attest, Lawrence’s best trait is winning with pure speed and a deep bag of pass-rush moves.”
Lawrence was productive at the collegiate level in 2025, logging “7.0 sacks, 40 QB pressures,” as well as a “89.5 Pass Rush Grade” and “19% Win Rate,” per PFF College.
UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence Last Season:
⚔️ 7.0 Sacks
⚔️ 40 QB Pressures
⚔️ 89.5 Pass Rush Grade
⚔️ 19% Win Rate
Those numbers should intrigue the Patriots, although perhaps not as much as Lawrence fitting the team’s “size thresholds” Lazar referenced. As Lazar explained, “that ~255-pound speed-rusher mold appears to be their type. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel added that New England met with ‘a bunch’ of EDGE prospects in Indy.”
The same formula can also apply to free agency when Odafe Oweh, Khalil Mack and Haason Reddick fit the bill. It all adds up to the Patriots not having to enter any bidding war for Chaisson.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
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