The Chicago Bears are reportedly unhappy with wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Speaking on ESPN 1000’s “Waddle and Silvy” program in Chicago, Marc Silverman reported that some people in the organization are frustrated with the fourth-year wideout. Silverman stated that Claypool is viewed by some as a player who lacks self-motivation:
“I have heard from a few people inside that building that he is NOT somebody who is very self-motivated. There’s a long way to go, Chase Claypool can change the narrative…
All I can tell you is it isn’t trending in a way that the Bears have wanted it to trend in this offseason. Chase Claypool is a guy that they’ve wanted to see some things from. They have not been able to see those things from him on and off the field. All those things don’t sound great for Claypool going into training camp on where they think he’s going to be.”
This obviously is not the news that Bears fans want to hear. The team gave up a second-round pick for Claypool to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the trade deadline.
The Bears finished as football’s worst team last season. With the league docking the Miami Dolphins’ first-round pick for tampering violations, the Bears essentially gave up a first-rounder (32nd overall) for the young wideout.
Pittsburgh used that selection on promising corner Joey Porter Jr., whose father was a star linebacker for the Steelers from 2009 to 2006.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
The Steelers drafted Pool 49th overall in 2020. The Abbotsford, British Columbia native showed promise over his first two seasons, recording nine touchdown receptions as a rookie and also exceeding 800 receiving yards each year.
But Claypool got off to a bad start for the Steelers in 2022, recording just 32 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown. His play didn’t improve following at trade to the NFL’s worst team, as Claypool caught only 14 passes for 140 yards and no touchdowns.
Needless to say, the Bears will need a lot out of Claypool in 2023. Otherwise, the trade will go down as one of the worst in recent franchise history.
