K'Lavon Chaisson passed on multi-year deal to join Commanders

"I'm not gonna lie, I think the Commanders one, only because I feel like they're competitive, so we're gonna be in some type of playoff race. 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 their offense looks like," Chaisson replies. The two continue to discuss the Saints and how guaranteed money is nice, but that's not everything, and Chaisson always bets on himself.

He bet on himself again when he signed with the Commanders, opting to take less money for a chance to be part of a playoff contention team. A lot of NFL players go where the money is; it's all about how much they can make and not what they can do for the team. Sure, there's overlap; players often consider what they can do for a team, but their main priority is padding their pockets.

Chaisson is a guy who prioritizes winning over anything else. Does he consider his impact on a team? Absolutely, he wouldn't sign somewhere without considering all aspects. Every athlete at every level wants to win. It doesn't matter if they're giving kids participation trophies; those kids still want to win. And for some, the desire to win and be successful in your craft matters more than how much money you make along the way.

K'Lavon Chaisson was a great addition to this Commanders' defense, and the fact that he chose to come to Washington for less money than he could have gotten elsewhere shows that he values hard work and winning more than how much money he can get. That kind of attitude is what will make this defense successful in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: K'Lavon Chaisson took less money in free agency