The Chicago Bears were desperate to jumpstart their offense during the 2022 season, which led to them making a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears traded their second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Pittsburgh in exchange for wide receiver Chase Claypool.
That selection essentially turned into a first-rounder, as it was the No. 32 pick. The Miami Dolphins were docked their first-rounder because of the tampering situation with Tom Brady. That was a steep price for the Bears to pay and their return on investment is about as poor as could be thus far.
With Chase Claypool on the roster, Chicago went 0-7 and Justin Fields’ advanced stats dropped off with him in the lineup. There was some optimism that things would turn around after a full offseason with the franchise, but things don’t seem to have improved.
Right now, the Bears are not happy with him at all. Marc Silverman of ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy recently went in depth about the situation and explained what is going wrong between the two sides.
“All I can tell you is it isn’t trending in a way that the Bears have wanted it to trend in this offseason,” Silverman said.
“I have heard from a few people inside that building that he is not somebody who is very self-motivated,” Silverman added. “There’s a long way to go. Chase Claypool can change the narrative.” (H/T ProFootballTalk)
This isn’t the first time that Chase Claypool has come under fire for how he carries himself. Former Steelers star safety Ryan Clark had some choice words when talking about the Notre Dame product following a game against the Minnesota Vikings during the 2021 season.
Chase Claypool showed poor awareness during a late-game situation, celebrating a first down and costing the Steelers precious seconds on the clock. Clark ripped into him, calling him one of the most immature football players that he has ever seen. He added, for how physically overdeveloped Chase Claypool is, he is underdeveloped emotionally and mentally.
There is certainly time for the former second-round pick to turn things around as this is an important season for him. He is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and if he wants any chance at landing a lucrative long-term deal in the offseason, he will get himself on track sooner than later.
If Chase Claypool can produce at a high level, teams will overlook some of the maturity issues that may persist. But, he isn’t even getting the job done in that regard as he has failed to replicate the success that he had during his rookie season when he caught 62 passes for 873 yards and 11 touchdowns.
