2024 NFL free agency: Panthers add former first-round pass rusher following Brian Burns trade, per report

The Carolina Panthers traded away one of the NFL’s top pass rushers earlier this week in Brian Burns. Now, the team is bringing aboard a former first-round pick to try and cushion the blow of that sizable loss off the edge of their defensive line. The team has signed pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, according to NFL Media. It’s a one-year deal with a maximum value of $5 million. 

The 24-year-old entered the NFL as the No. 20 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU. Chaisson was unable to live up to his first-round draft status throughout his first four years with the franchise, starting just 11 of his 57 regular season games played and totaling just five sacks over the course of those seasons. Last offseason, Jacksonville declined Chaisson’s fifth-year option, which paved the way for him to hit free agency this year. 

In 2023, he appeared in all 17 games for the Jaguars and finished with two sacks and eight quarterback hits to go along with 10 total pressures. 

As noted previously, Chaisson’s arrival comes off the heels of the Panthers making a seismic trade earlier this week that sent Burns to the New York Giants. Burns has perennially been regarded as one of the league’s top pass rushers and led the team with eight sacks and 18 quarterback hits in 2023. While Chaisson shouldn’t be looked at as an outright replacement for Burns, Carolina is likely looking for him to help cushion the blow of his departure and add depth to the pass-rushing unit.