The Chicago Bears hatched an unexpected blockbuster when they sent their 2nd round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Chase Claypool. It came with a mixed reaction. On one hand, the 24-year-old is immensely talented. He was dynamic as a rookie in 2019 and continues to show flashes at various times over the past two seasons. Then again, he was also a distraction accused of being immature. Many claim he wasn’t worth Chicago’s price tag to get him.
If that were the case, then it’s best to explain why the Green Bay Packers were interested. They have a long history of identifying good receivers, and according to insider Josina Anderson were in hot pursuit of Claypool. It looked like they were the favorites to land him. Then GM Ryan Poles swooped in with his offer. Pittsburgh made the deal. Now Justin Fields has another legitimate weapon at his disposal.
As of 8am this morning I'm told "it was looking like Green Bay was potentially going to offer the best deal for Chase (Claypool)," per league source. Obviously the #Bears have swooped in and nabbed the #Steelers WR.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 1, 2022
Aaron Rodgers said on @PatMcAfeeShow: “I was kinda hoping there might be some (trade) news during this show we can break. … Not surprised to hear we were in on (Chase) Claypool and we’ll see what happens.” pic.twitter.com/e8rJ8qAMti
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 1, 2022
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Chase Claypool in green and gold would’ve been tough.
The last thing Aaron Rodgers needs is more help. Green Bay’s passing game has struggled all year, still suffering from the loss of Davante Adams. Claypool would bring some legitimacy to the offense. Poles wasn’t going to have that. He had two 2nd rounders after dealing Roquan Smith to Baltimore. So he decided to do what everybody accused him of not doing back in March and April. He took a big swing to help his young quarterback.
People have already begun spinning the news. Green Bay people think the Packers just stayed in talks to jack up the price. Pittsburgh people clay Chase Claypool was useless and Chicago made a dumb move. In reality, nobody knows what to expect. The receiver is still very young and gifted. He’ll be a far more featured target in this offense than he was with the Steelers. That should make him happy. If Fields keeps progressing as he has, this trade will end up looking like a winner for Chicago.
As a Pittsburgh guy, I would say the deal is about even and both sides benefited. Claypoole is the real deal but Pittsburgh has the luxury of a stable of receivers, including the Sims kid. Steelers need linemen so the draft pick will help them. Bears get a top tier receiver who hasn’t sniffed his potential, to pair with the young QB. Trust me when I say, Steelers still need a QB. Both teams win on this deal.
@David they have 120 million in cap room how would they not be able 2 afford higgins?
So here is what we can surmise…
A. Pittsburgh wanted to dump a dude they didn’t want and the Bears overpaid for him to keep him from the Packers
B. Pittsburgh wanted to dump a player they didn’t want and the Packers jacked up the price so the Bears would over pay to get him.
Who won?
Pittsburgh
If Claypool proves his worth….Fast Forward to 2023 draft! 1 less skill position player needed and that frees up Poles to grab 1 higher pick O-line or D-line player where it is very obvious we have a great need. So spending that #2 pick now might be a genius move that pays double dividend!
Roquan has been a headache since he was drafted. He has no agent and he’s stubborn and egotistical. He thinks he’s way better than he is, which is OK. But, he also thinks he’s more valuable than he is and he is easily offended when his true market value is explained to him. The Ravens have that headache now. Roquan determined he was not going to be part of the Bears future Goodbye to that crybaby and thank you to Poles for getting nice value for a flawed player. Fast fwd to Claypool. This guy is already much more than… Read more »