It would have been a homecoming of sorts for the former LSU Tiger.
The New Orleans Saints were very active in free agency, especially early on, signing players they targeted before the offseason began. However, it wasn't all good with every player they targeted. Former New England Patriot EDGE rusher K'Lavon Chaisson inked a new deal with the Washington Commanders after a breakout season, but the Saints were left at the altar as a bridesmaid.
On his YouTube channel, Chaisson detailed the offers he received in free agency and peeled back the curtain on his thought process that led him to sign with Washington.
"I got a three-year (offer) with the Saints," Chaisson said. His agent was working to negotiate the per-year average "up to like $13 (million). I think right now they like at $11 trying to get up to $13. Yeah. And then I got a, I got a one-year (offer) with the Commanders right now for like, uh, I think that was at like $11. Something like that."
Chaisson also stated that while the deal had a higher per year value over the three years that only the guaranteed money matters and the Saints were offering a two-year deal in reality.
His agent called him back in the video and Chaisson detailed the conversation.
"The Bucs and Ravens, Ravens just got back to me five minutes ago. They don't want, they don't know if they can get to that number. And then the Saints, they don't want to get to the $13 on a multi. So either we, you know, we can do a shorter deal with the Saints or the Commanders, or we can do -- I don't want to do a multiyear deal for less than $11. It doesn't make sense if we get $11 on a one-year."
Ultimately, the money had to make sense for Chaisson and the tiebreaker came down to wanting to play defense for an offense led by Jayden Daniels and not Tyler Shough.
"I'm not gonna lie, I think that Commanders one, only because I feel like them (expletive), you know, they're competitive. So, we're going to be in some time of playoff race and (expletive) I'm going to have more opportunities to be ahead of the game. I don't know about the Saints, I don't know what they offense look like," Chaisson said. "To know, like, we'll be playing from ahead to even have them rush opportunities."
It's interesting to hear him prefer Daniels after a successful rookie season and a wash of a sophomore season due to injuries. The name may be flashy, but New Orleans is building a beast on offense and he may regret this statement.