FOXBOROUGH — When Efton Chism III leaped to haul in a pass late in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s Patriots-Bills game, his parents immediately started celebrating.
“We jumped out of our seats,” recalled his father, Efton Chism II. “We were freaking out.”
The 19-yard reception converted a first down and brought the Patriots to Buffalo’s 28-yard line. Chism II and his wife, Kristy, who had traveled more than 2,000 miles from Washington to Highmark Stadium, couldn’t contain their excitement over their son’s first catch of the day.
Little did they know what was coming next.
TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS.
What a catch by Efton Chism III to take the lead@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DtIZoenYNL
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
Two plays later, as quarterback Drake Maye and the offense looked to respond following Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman’s go-ahead touchdown, Chism III extended his right arm to bring in an unbelievable, one-handed, winning touchdown.
“Nobody around us knew he was our kid,” Chism II said. “I turned around and playfully punched the Buffalo fan on my left in the chest and went, ‘Dude, that’s my son!’ And then I just sat down. And then I stood back up, I think. We blacked out a little bit.”
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“I was crying,” Kristy said.
The tears kept coming. When they saw their son’s teammates swarm him in the end zone, and continue to congratulate and embrace him once he reached the sideline. When they finally got a chance to connect with him after the game. Even days later as they recounted his heroics.
“It’s still emotional right now, just thinking about it,” Chism II said. “Honestly. As parents, how cool can that be to watch your son be successful doing what he loves?”
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The pinch-me moment is just the latest development in the rise of Chism III, who arrived in New England 18 months ago as an undrafted rookie out of Eastern Washington. The Patriots outbid several suitors to sign the 5-foot-11-inch Chism III, giving him a three-year contract with more than $250,000 guaranteed.
Still, his parents knew making the 53-man roster was far from a sure thing.
“I am a realist,” Chism II said. “I want to be like, ‘OK, let’s plan for, you know, all these other things if this doesn’t happen.’ But he has just a great ability to believe in himself, which we think is one of the most powerful tools he has.”
Soon after signing with the Patriots, Chism III developed a reputation for his strong work ethic. He and wide receivers coach Todd Downing started to race each other to be the first one at the facility, usually arriving before 6 a.m. He stayed late after practice, squeezing in as many reps as possible with Maye and catching another 180-200 balls using the JUGS machine.
Chism III also forged a friendship with veteran receiver Mack Hollins, a fellow early arriver. During training camp of his rookie year, Chism III would meet with Hollins the night before each practice to draw up essentially the entire playbook.
“It’s hard to say that an undrafted college free agent could be a pro’s pro, but I will tell you that’s what he was,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “He came in with that kind of demeanor, that kind of attitude.”
.@EftonChism has always put in the time & effort 💯
Relive his journey to the Patriots in 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝘅𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵@newbalance | WATCH HERE: https://t.co/9s4UvcfhE8 pic.twitter.com/ybmwOaEyHT
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 6, 2026
Chism III earned his spot on the roster at the end of August last year, and again this year. Opportunities within the starting offense remained hard to come by, though. Chism III was often a healthy scratch as a rookie, logging the majority of his reps as part of the scout team. It initially looked as though this year would follow a similar trajectory.
Then, A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener. Then, Hollins suffered a calf injury that sidelined him for most of the second half against the Bills.
Suddenly, Chism III was thrust into a major role.
“You never know when the work’s going to pay off,” he said. “If you get a couple of opportunities, you want to take advantage of every single one you get. You just have to continue to work.”
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From the outside, Chism III comes off as a happy-go-lucky guy. He took the high road when Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson brushed him off, incorrectly, as a practice-squad player. But don’t mistake that humility for satisfaction. Chism III still wants more.
“My son’s mind-set is different than mine,” Chism II said. “He is, ‘Eat or be eaten.’ You’re all in or you’re, ‘Why bother?’ I love a nice friendly game of horseshoes. He always wants to win.”
Headed into Sunday’s game against new coach Klint Kubiak’s plucky Raiders, Chism III could be in line for a larger target share. Brown is not eligible to return until Week 6 and Hollins will not play. That leaves Chism III, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams as the receivers on New England’s active roster.
After four weeks of wearing the jersey number of a receiver on the opposing team — No. 10 for Buffalo’s Khalil Shakir, No. 11 for Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jacksonville’s Parker Washington, and No. 14 for Pittsburgh’s Roman Wilson — Chism III sported his own No. 86 at Wednesday’s practice.
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No matter how the Patriots choose to use Chism III — whether it’s on the outside, out of the slot, or in the run game — they can trust he will be ready.
Even when he wasn’t registering significant snaps, Chism III would stay at the facility until 7:30 p.m. and be in bed by 9 so he could return the next morning by 6. He would still follow a pregame workout on Fridays and body prep routine on Saturdays. He would still get together with Hollins the night before every game to review the call sheet.
“One of the best things for a quarterback is having a smart receiver and knowing that he has a good feel for the game,” Maye said. “That’s one of the things with Chiz. You’re not going to worry about him being in the right spot or knowing the right thing to do. It’s kind of one of those things when he runs the wrong route every once in a thousand routes, it’s a surprise.”
Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III was joined by his family – from left, father Efton II, mother Kristy, girlfriend Devynn, and sister Camille – at last Sunday's game in Buffalo.
Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III was joined by his family – from left, father Efton II, mother Kristy, girlfriend Devynn, and sister Camille – at last Sunday's game in Buffalo.
Chism III’s parents won’t travel to Gillette Stadium for Sunday’s game. The couple tries to make it to as many as they can — Kristy missed only one of 53 college games — while balancing cost and time off from work.
They plan on attending the Week 6 home game against the Jets as well as the Week 12 road game against the Chargers, with a few others earmarked as possibilities.
“We’re just chasing hugs,” Chism II said.
Regardless of where they’re watching from, Chism III’s parents couldn’t be more thrilled to see their son’s years of hard work pay off.
“We feel like that skill set and that life approach is so important, well beyond when he’s done playing on the field,” Chism II said. “That’s where it starts getting emotional again, as a parent, that proud feeling, like, ‘Man, maybe we did do something right.’ ”