K'Lavon Chaisson
Getty
Washington Commanders edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson.
The Washington Commanders blew it in every way imaginable in 2025.
It was a downhill slide that started not long after they made the NFC Championship Game the previous season.
Every move was a misstep. You can’t point to anything the coaching staff or front office did to help the team. Not a draft pick. Not a free agent signing. Not a coaching hire, a ballboy internship, or even a good uniform choice.
It was a year of misery that ended in a 5-12 season, star quarterback Jayden Daniels missing 10 games due to injuries, both offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. fired, and head coach Dan Quinn firmly on the hot seat.
Now, early in the 2026 offseason cycle, signs of life. Signs of life that start with the defense — Thank God — and include a pair of free-agent edge rushers in Odafe Oweh (4 years, $100 million) and K’Lavon Chaisson (1 year, $11 million).
Commanders Praised for ‘Biggest Steal’ Chaisson
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport heaped praise on the Commanders for signing Chaisson after the former 1st round pick brought his career back to life with the New England Patriots in 2025.
“The Washington Commanders went into the offseason with a clear and glaring need on the edge,” Davenport wrote. “And the team didn’t play around about addressing it … Last year with the New England Patriots, edge-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson finally looked the part of the first-round pick he was back in 2020, logging a career-high 7.5 sacks with the New England Patriots. At 26, Chaisson is only just now entering his prime. Playing opposite Oweh should help minimize double-teams. A 10-sack 2026 is a real possibility. And getting a 10-sack edge-rusher for $11 million on a one-year deal is a steal.”
Chaisson has approximately $20 million in career earnings through 6 seasons and should form one of the NFL’s most underrated edge combos.
“K’Lavon Chaisson and Odafe Oweh totaled almost twice as many pressures in 2025 as any other player currently on the Commanders roster,” NextGen Stats wrote on its official X account. “Chaisson also totaled 16 pressures and 3 sacks in four postseason games.”
Starred on Legendary College Football Team
Chaisson, 6-foot-3 and 254 pounds, was the star defensive player on arguably the greatest college football team of all time with LSU in 2019, when the Tigers went 15-0 and won the College Football Playoff National Championship.
That team featured an NFL record 14 draft picks, including 5 1st round picks led by Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, along with NFL All-Pro wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Chaisson in the 1st round (No. 20 overall) but let him become a free agent after 4 seasons in which he never developed into a full-time starter and only had 5.0 sacks. It’s also worth pointing out that Chaisson played for 4 different head coaches in those 4 seasons.
Chaisson signed a 1-year, $2.5 million free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers but was released before he even played a game. He spent the rest of 2024 with the Las Vegas Raiders before signing a 1-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots.