When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted K'Lavon Chaisson 20th overall in 2020, they thought they had gotten a pass rusher who would wreak havoc for years to come. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. At least not with them.
After four underwhelming seasons, the Jags moved on from Swiper. He quickly latched onto the Carolina Panthers in 2024, but he was once again a non-factor and got the boot even before he played a snap for them. It wasn't until Chaisson joined the Las Vegas Raiders at the midpoint of the regular season that he hit his stride.
In 15 games with four starts for the Silver & Black, Chaisson logged a career-best five sacks, 32 total tackles, and seven tackles for a loss. Moreover, he made a jaw-dropping interception in Week 11.
3rd & 8, K'Lavon Chaisson feels this WR screen as soon as the LT doesn't attempt to block him. Slams on the brakes, gets his hands up to deflect pass then make interception.#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/rIhrlFhB9Q
— Ryan Holmes (@Rholm22) December 9, 2024
Following his banner season, Chaisson signed a one-year, prove-it deal worth $3 million with the New England Patriots. So far, he's been everything they bargained for, and then some.
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K'Lavon Chaisson is becoming the player the Jaguars expected with the Patriots
It was hard to tell whether K'Lavon Chaisson was a one-year wonder or if he was going to be able to build off his strong campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders. Based on his performance in training camp, it looks like it's the former.
Right off the bat, the former LSU Tiger is making an impact, getting two sacks at the expense of rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell, according to Andrew Callaham of The Boston Herald. Chaisson's impressive performance came just one day after logging his first sack of training camp.
Chaisson just tallied 2 sacks and 1 pressure in a 4-play stretch against the starting offense. He's been the undisputed breakout star of camp.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) July 30, 2025
Bad news: both sacks came at Will Campbell's expense. https://t.co/yDRnYRl4LZ
Sure, the Pats won't be thrilled that their first-round left tackle is off to a rough start, but they're surely pleased that their bet on Chaisson is paying off. Circling back to his stint in Jacksonville, he's proof that players' readiness is always variable.
As a rookie, Chaisson had to make the transition from standup linebacker to playing with his hand in the ground. The fact that he was pressed into a featured role when the Jags traded Calis Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue before the 2020 season only accentuated his learning curve. To nobody's surprise, the Texans native struggled but was able to finish his first NFL campaign strong.
Unfortunately, Chaisson's strong end to 2020 didn't carry into his sophomore campaign, and he was a non-factor despite the fact that he had switched back to strong linebacker. The 2023 and 2024 seasons were more of the same, and the once-promising pass rusher finished his stint in Duval with a measly five career sacks. The fact that he had as many in his lone year with the Raiders shows that either he needed time to hit his stride or that Jacksonville wasn't a fit.
Either way, K'Lavon Chaisson appears to have at least turn the corner and is proving to be a bargain for the Patriots.