K’Lavon Chaisson landed at No. 6 on the Buffalo Bills‘ list of best trade deadline fits for their defense, according to The Athletic‘s Joe Buscaglia.
The Washington Commanders edge rusher is on an expiring contract, which keeps his price modest as the Nov. 10 deadline closes in on Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane.
Buffalo has played well this season, but Buscaglia sees defensive weaknesses left to fix. Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker tops his list as “a home run fit.” Beyond safety, the Bills have “a sneaky big need for a third edge rusher” who can “reduce the workload on Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb,” Buscaglia wrote.
Chaisson is “an extremely intriguing third pass rusher who has applied a lot of pressure so far this season,” Buscaglia wrote. He is also “a natural fit at outside linebacker” who has “played pretty evenly on both sides.”
Buscaglia ranked Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack second. “Chaisson isn’t quite the player Mack is, because Mack can still start if an injury forces him into duty with the Bills,” Buscaglia wrote. Chaisson’s cap hit for the rest of 2026 is “a perfect fit for the Bills at just over $2 million,” he added.
Chaisson’s Career Year With the New England Patriots
Chaisson, a Houston native listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, went 20th overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He has 17.5 sacks in 88 games across six seasons with the Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots. Jacksonville got only five sacks out of him in four years, a total he matched with Las Vegas in 2024.
New England signed him to a one-year deal in 2025, and he produced the best season of his career. He finished with 7.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits in 16 games, starting 10 of them, after never topping five sacks in any previous year.
Two sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. No NFL player had combined those three plays in one game since 2019. In the playoffs, he added three more sacks in four games as the Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl.
New England still chose to sign Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones instead. Chaisson later posted a video of his agent explaining the decision. “We love K’Lavon, we just need somebody that plays the run a little bit better,” the agent said, quoting the call from the Patriots, per NESN‘s Dakota Randall.
Run defense is an area where Chaisson has had lapses and Jones thrives. Chaisson signed with Washington for a one-year, $11 million contract.
Chaisson’s Commanders Production and Trade Value
Through seven games, Chaisson has 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles along with 19 tackles in his first season with Washington. The Commanders are 2-4-1 and host the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 8, two days before the deadline.
The analytics site StickToTheModel places Chaisson’s trade value as a third-round pick, and lists the expiring deal as the biggest drag on that figure. The Dallas Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for edge rusher Rashan Gary this year.
Washington might only get a fourth-round pick for a rental, according to ESPN’s John Keim, who has argued against moving Chaisson at that price and prefers an extension.
Buscaglia did not put a price on Chaisson. For Mack, he suggested opening at a fifth-round pick and rising to a fourth if Buffalo gets a late selection back.
Bills Urged to Trade for K’Lavon Chaisson After Career Year With Rival Patriots