The Chase Claypool situation in Chicago has moved to a point the team will prepare for its Week 5 game without him. The disgruntled wide receiver will not be in the building ahead of the Bears’ preparations for their Commanders tilt, Matt Eberflus said Monday.
Eberflus’ update (courtesy of ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan) provides a different stance compared to Sunday, when the second-year head coach said the 2022 trade acquisition is expected to remain with the team going forward. Several hours later, it looks like a separation is imminent.
These standoffs do not necessarily mean the end of the line, however. Last year, both Brandin Cooks and Cam Akers went from being at odds with the Texans and Rams, respectively, to finishing out the seasons back as starters for their teams. (Though, both were dealt this year.) Claypool, however, does not have the same type of role with the Bears. The ex-Steelers second-rounder has underwhelmed since being dealt to the Bears at the 2022 deadline. The Bears made him a healthy scratch for their Week 4 game against the Broncos, and a Sunday-morning report pointed to a trade attempt taking place.
While the Bears were believed to be asking for a fifth- or sixth-round pick for the bulky wideout, this particular asset’s value has tanked since he was last on the trade block. In 10 Bears games, Claypool has caught just 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He has four grabs for 51 yards this season.
Bears coaches criticized Claypool for his effort in Week 1, and GM Ryan Poles issued an ultimatum of sorts after that showing. Claypool then caught three passes for 36 yards in Week 2 but was not a factor in the Bears’ Week 3 loss in Kansas City. In the same vein, Claypool responded in the affirmative when asked if the coaching staff was putting him in the best position to succeed. While this is not a good look, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns added that Claypool’s benching did not solely stem from his comments about the staff, pointing to Eberflus mentioning meetings, practices and walkthroughs after the game.
The Bears surrendered the No. 32 overall pick for Claypool last year. The Packers also sent the Steelers a second-round offer, as they attempted to make an 11th-hour upgrade on their pass-catching corps to help their final Aaron Rodgers-led offense. Pittsburgh preferred Chicago’s pick, believing it would come in higher. That bet proved prescient; the Bears have not won a game since acquiring Claypool. Sunday’s 21-point collapse marked Chicago’s 14th straight loss.
The former Notre Dame standout is tied to a $2.99MM base salary this season. It should not be considered out of a question other teams still value Claypool, but this Bears regime will not recoup anything close to the same level of draft asset it parted with to bring in the 6-foot-4 target nearly a year ago.
When he was with the Steelers, he said that JuJu had the biggest impact on him during his rookie year – building his “Mapletron” brand, not for anything on the field.
All the talent in the world but he’s going to waste it because he refuses to put the work in to grow as a player. Hope those T-Shirt sales offset what his next contracts could have been.
The biggest impact Juju could have on any other WR is personifying that not all WRs have WR1 talent.
Both Juju & Chase had success when someone else was WR1 (AB & Diontae respectively)
When they were expected to take the next step … nope.
Exactly, Banzai. It seems like some teams look at some of the more productive WR2s and trick themselves into believing they’ll get the same production out of them without a bonafide WR1 on the roster. I can see how Claypool would be frustrated by his lack of success in Chicago. Of course he isn’t without blame himself, but the Bears aren’t either.
These are his prime earning years in the NFL, and it’s being wasted. Not that I condone his lack of effort, but what WR wants to be associated with this offense?
Lmao dude is a loser. Soft and useless. Throw him to the cardinals for a 7th rounder hahaha
The Claypool trade is a disaster but no team will give up anything for him, everyone knows Bears have to cut him, our coach couldn’t hold children accountable
Good point. I just imagine they’d want something for him since they gave up a good pick for him. Most like gets cut and signed to a practice squad(Chiefs, Raiders, Titans, etc) in case of a cheap emergency
The only good news to come out of Halas Hall this year. Now if Eberflus would follow suit.
May as well ship off the GM too. He made the trade after all.
Ignorant reply. All GMs wish they had moves back. Nothing is certain in player moves. Poles took a gamble looking at what was going to be available in FA and based upon having more pressing needs in the draft. Couldn’t have known Moore would be available to him. Did I, for whatever that is worth, think it was a good move? No, not at that price. I would have let GB or several other teams bidding for him at that point have him. You also have to remember that Bears management still likes to have a say in things that they should not. Eberflus hire and even Claypool could have been a part of that. I am willing to let the 3 year plan play out before making a change again. Poles did the right thing to tear it down, now he deserves at least 3 years to try to build it back up. One really bad call doesn’t change that. Several over that time, without positive movement, probably would.
Not many GM’s spend a fortune in the offseason and continue on a 13 game losing streak. That’s his roster that looks like by far the worse in the league. That’s a statement as well. He also wiffed on comparing Fields to Stroud. Stroud is looking great 4 games in; Fields looks lost 3 years in.
A lot of that falls on Eberflus who is lost as last year’s Easter eggs. And 4 games? Fields was the king of the world for 4 games mid season last year. I’ll wait a bit before crowning Stroud as the next big thing.
I didn’t crown Stroud. I said he looks a whole lot better than Fields. That’s a fact. That’s bad scouting on the Bears side. The guy said to the effect ‘He would have to be blown away…’ about last year’s QB’s. Stroud clearly has owned Sept vs Fields. All that money spent on D, bad picks, bad trades….That’s on the GM. I agree the coach sucks, but so does the GM & QB.
Prediction: The Bears will cut Claypool and he’ll sign with the Packers and he will be a thorn in the side for the Bears for the next 7-10 years, all the while he becomes a perennial Pro-Bowl WR and HofF’er at retirement.
Facts
Do you think that the Panthers will scoop him up when he is released?
If I had to guess, I would say I don’t know.
Best retort
Fire Matt Canada.
I’m thinkin there’d be a longer list
How he still has his job is beyond me.
Panthers are looking… but will be fit?
Thought u had to be somewhat of a good player to be diva
When the clueless, rudderless, Bears run out of patience with you, you have hit the end of the road. He’s an embarrassment to Notre Dame. Take the Bear’s advice Chase, stay home.
Well I think this will be telling. If he is what he appears to be, then Poles looks like a fool. On the other hand, if he goes somewhere else and becomes a good WR target for another team I think it just shows the larger dysfunction that is the Bears org at this point. In any case this does not really look good for management.
The culture and locker room is lost. Once coaches start singling out players publicly, you lose the other players respect. The Claypool matter should have been kept in house and if you knew he was an unwilling blocker in training camp and that is essential to your scheme, you should have traded him then. This is all about a GM and Coach that didn’t want to admit they made an error and have the courage to move on from it.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the coaching staff wanted him gone but the front office or ownership insisted on giving him another chance to justify the trade. The trade looked bad when it was made, they hoped Claypool would pan out a little bit to make it look not as bad and now they have an egg on their face.
Claypool has look of future usfl allstar. Maybe CFL does he speak Canadian ?
You’re asking whom, eh?