Bears' Chase Claypool saga: What happened, why, and what comes next for team, WR

Bears' Chase Claypool saga: What happened, why, and what comes next for team, WR originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

On November 1, 2022, Bears general manager Ryan Poles took the podium at Halas Hall, excited to announce what he believed would be a pivotal addition to his rebuild in third-year wide receiver Chase Claypool.

Poles traded the Bears' 2023 second-round pick, which wound up being the No. 32 overall selection, to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Claypool. The vision was to have Claypool settle in during the back half of the 2022 season, become proficient in the offense during the offseason, and become a big-time playmaker in 2023, leading to a long-term extension in Chicago.

What has transpired in the eleven months since Claypool arrived has been the opposite of what Poles envisioned.

Claypool arrives

Despite whispers that Claypool had become a headache for the Steelers -- complaining about his role in the offense, the scheme, and his targets -- the Bears acquired Claypool with the belief that a fresh start would allow him to blossom. The Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin have spent the last 16 years finding ways to get talented players with difficult personalities to buy into the Steeler way. That Tomlin and the Steelers were OK parting with Claypool, a talented receiver on a rookie contract, after two-plus seasons was an immediate red flag.

Still, Claypool arrived in Chicago and claimed he hadn't overstayed his welcome in Pittsburgh. There just was no longer room for him to thrive.

“No, it’s not like I was like, ‘Oh, I want to get out, I want to get out or I hope I do.,'" Claypool said. "I was just letting the cards play how they were played.”

Claypool pointed to the Steelers' decision to play him primarily in the slot as a reason for his drop in numbers. That played into what Claypool believed was a shifting narrative about him.

“I just think that at some point – the perspective on me, at some point, was like, ‘oh, he’s not a red-zone threat,’ for some reason. Or, ‘he’s not a deep-ball threat,’ for some reason," Claypool said. "I’m not sure why that happened. I started getting formationed away from those things. It was hard for me to make big plays because anytime there was a big play drawn up, it was like on the other side. I think it was just like the opportunity. Sometimes that’s how it goes, that’s just how the offensive system works at that time.”

Claypool denied being a problem in Pittsburgh and promised to work hard to prove that Poles made the right call in giving up a valuable draft pick for him.

He made an instant impression on his teammates, wowing them with his size and athleticism in practice before his debut.

"He's a dominant player," Darnell Mooney told NBC Sports Chicago during Claypool's first week. "He's just another player who can come in and make special plays. He has been doing his thing since he got in the league."

"He had a crazy catch out there today. It was like a deep ball and he just like went up and big-boyed someone. He Mossed them. Exactly. The things he has been doing. It was nice to see it in person."

No immediate impact, and a Detroit blow-up

The Bears weren't expecting Claypool to pop immediately. Football trades aren't plug-and-play. They knew it would take a whole offseason for Claypool to settle into a complex offense with a new quarterback.

In seven games last fall for the Bears, Claypool caught 14 passes for 140 yards. His best game came when he caught two passes for 51 yards from Trevor Siemian in a loss to the New York Jets.

Claypool's frustration with the Bears' offense -- something that would become a theme -- first bubbled up during the Bears' Week 17 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions.

After another failed offensive series, Claypool went to the sideline, tossed his helmet, and had a verbal exchange with wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert before directing his ire at offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

Fields eventually stepped in to try and calm things down.

"I talked to him like, ‘That’s not going to do anything. That’s not helping anybody. That’s just spreading everybody apart. We need to be here for each other, stick with each other, and fight,'" Fields said at the time. "Of course, going back on Chase, he’s passionate but just has to learn how to control those emotions and keep it inside and just know what’s going to be best for the team.”

A few days after the incident, Claypool said his tirade was not about targets but about teaching the Bears not to get comfortable with losing.

"I was all fired up because we can’t lose that bad, ever," Claypool said. "We have to have a little bit more pride, a little bit more heart, so it don’t happen again.

"I was coming off the field, three-and-out, sit on the bench, do the same thing over," Claypool continued. "Something’s gotta change in that moment. We gotta realize the drives where we have to score. We have to realize when it’s not OK to go three-and-out. We gotta act that way. If we go three-and-out, it can’t just be OK. And it isn’t. But we gotta really have that fire and energy and realize that, yo, it’s time to go. We went three-and-out two times in a row. They’re scoring points. The lead’s getting bigger. What are we gonna do about it?"

When asked if his outburst was related to a lack of targets, Claypool dismissed the thought.

"I’ll never do that," Claypool said. "Only time I get frustrated like that is if we’re losing and I feel like I could be doing more. I’ll never get frustrated and say, ‘Throw me the ball more, throw me the ball.’ Maybe I’ll say, ‘Hey, I was open. I want to make a play for the team, we’re down.’ But never about my stats. I don’t care about my stats.”

Summer of optimism

By all accounts, Claypool worked hard during the offseason to learn the Bears' playbook and develop chemistry with Fields. He made flashcards to become proficient in the scheme and worked off-campus with Fields.

The fourth-year wide receiver promised things would be a lot different both with himself and the Bears' offense in 2023.

"I truly believe that this year from last year will be a night and day difference," Claypool told talkSPORT2 in the United Kingdom during the summer. "Fans will be loving next year. I'm excited. Obviously, with the additions we had in the offseason, but also being able to stack that knowledge from last season, all those learning and those growth spurts that we had to go through, I think it's going to be great."

Claypool suffered a soft-tissue injury during the offseason program but arrived at training camp healthy and prepared ahead of a contract season.

"It’s the biggest year of my life, and I understand that," Claypool said at the start of training camp. "If anybody thinks my work ethic isn’t matching that, they’re deeply mistaken. I get motivated and motivated and motivated. It keeps building on top of each other. My work ethic grows from last year, it will grow after this year. I learn from things. I’m always growing, just like everybody in the room should be. They should always grow from their mistakes. The goal is the same. At the end of the day, it’s to win football games. My contract year aside, I want to win football games."

A big part of the Bears' optimism around Claypool was the belief inside the organization that the contract year would have him focused, bought into the plan, and unlock the best version of him -- the version Poles imagined when handing over the No. 32 overall pick.

"I told Chase, and we had a really good conversation, I'm not blinking at that one at all," Poles said at the start of camp. "I think he's gonna help us moving forward and I'm excited about it."

Claypool was impressive during the early days of training camp. He used his size and physicality to make contested catches in third down and in the red zone. Outside of DJ Moore and Jaquan Brisker, an argument could be made that Claypool was the Bears' best player early in camp.

"Chase has been doing his thing lately," Fields said early in camp. "I’m proud of him. He’s one of those guys on offense that he’s going to bring that energy pretty much every day. He’s an emotional player. He’s been doing good. Making contested catches. He’s such a big body where he’s a big presence out there. When he gets going on every route, it’s hard to stop him. Even in the running game, he’s crushing linebackers. It’s definitely great to have Chase."

"Hot head" and an injury

Claypool runs hot. He always has. The Bears loved his passion and believed it would be important for an offense filled with lead-by-example guys in Fields, Moore, and tight end Cole Kmet.

But Claypool's anger boiled over a couple times during training camp. First came a minor scuffle with veteran safety Eddie Jackson. Claypool took offense to a hit by Jackson he felt was a little late, and an intense kerfuffle ensued.

Later that same day, Claypool got into an altercation with rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. It ended with Claypool scuffing Stevenson's mouthpiece with his cleat before picking it up and throwing it against the training shed.

Oh, yeah, you’ve gotta watch him. He’s a hothead, for sure. You’ve got to calm him," Mooney said after the Jackson incident. "That’s why I’m jumping in there like, “Yeah, OK, calm down.’ But I’m really like, ‘Hey, c’mon.’ No, yeah, Chase is a hothead for sure. He’ll run through you guys and don’t know how to calm down. He just needs somebody to pull you back and be like, ‘Hey, chill out.’ I’ll be that guy for him for sure."

Claypool would again direct his ire at Stevenson in training camp in an illuminating scene.

During individual drills, Claypool threw Stevenson to the ground to get open but was flagged for offensive pass interference.

While walking back to the line, Claypool told Stevenson to "stay on your f---ing feet."

"Run a f---ing route," Stevenson retorted.

The two continued to exchange insults until cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke intervened.

On Claypool's next individual rep, he got past Jaylon Jones but pulled up and grabbed his hamstring.

Claypool immediately turned to Stevenson, who was not in on the rep, and said: "I pulled my hamstring making you look like a b----."

Claypool did not participate in the remainder of training camp.

Red flags

The Bears worked with Claypool behind the scenes to find the best way to get through to him, to control his emotions, and to accept his role in their offense.

They entered the season with high hopes for the young receiver and his future in Chicago.

Week 1 wasn't promising as Claypool gave half effort on multiple blocks and routes in a 38-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Claypool was criticized heavily on social media and national television for the lack of effort. After the game, the fourth-year receiver met with Eberlfus and Poles to discuss his role in the offense and what the team expected of him.

Sources told NBC Sports Chicago that Claypool's frustrations boiled over during the Packers loss, leading to a few expletive-laden tirades directed at Getsy.

Claypool either declined to speak to the media or was unavailable during the week after the Packers game.

He showed better effort during the Bears' Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and caught his first touchdown pass as a Bear.

Afterward, Claypool explained what had transpired the week before.

“I went to them. I texted them and asked if we could talk just for my own sake and try to find any type of thing that could help me progress the way that I want to and learn from the mistakes the way I want to," Claypool said of the meeting with Poles and Eberflus. "They were good. They told me what they wanted from me, so I made sure I delivered on that throughout the week.”

Despite Claypool's better showing in Tampa, sources told NBC Sports Chicago that Claypool continued to be frustrated with his role in the offense, the Bears had trouble getting complete buy-in from him, and the receiver's attitude was a problem in meetings and practice.

Inactive

The final (public) straw came last Friday when Claypool told members of the media that he didn't feel the Bears were putting him in the best position to succeed.

When asked how they could best utilize him, Claypool declined to offer suggestions for Getsy and his staff.

"You know, I’ll let them decide that," Claypool said. "I’m not going to give any pointers. That’s their job to decide and I’ll just do what they tell me to do."

Claypool once again skirted the line when asked if he felt being traded to the Bears was not ideal with his contract situation.

"I wouldn’t say that," Claypool said. "I think every situation has the ability to be ideal and I think we’re just working towards that. I’m not going to say that. I wouldn’t say it’s not an ideal place for me. Obviously there’s other places – you can say, ‘Oh, I want to be on the best offense with the highest passing yards’ but that doesn’t happen in football. You just have to make due with what you got."

On Saturday, Eberflus and Poles called Claypool to inform the receiver he would be inactive for the Bears' Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos. Claypool did not show up to Soldier Field on Sunday to support the Bears. After the game, Eberflus said they gave Claypool the choice to come or stay home, but later, the Bears retracted that explanation and said they asked Claypool not to attend the game.

Fields called Claypool on Saturday to check in with the receiver and make sure he was OK mentally with the Bears' decision. Fields has been one of Claypool's strongest supporters and said he still wants Claypool on the team.

"Do I want him on this team? Of course," Fields said after the loss. "Chase, he’s a weapon. He’s passionate. He just has to work on his display of his emotions. Me and him have had multiple conversations with that. As far as do I want someone on the team, that’s an easy answer, yes."

That display of emotions, frustration, and inability to find restraint almost certainly played a role in the Bears asking Claypool to stay home (if they did) from the Broncos game.

On Monday, Eberflus and Poles called Claypool again to tell him not to come into the facility this week and that he would be inactive for Thursday night's game in Washington.

"We feel like that’s best for the team," Eberflus said. "And really, it comes down to this. When you’re evaluating players in meetings, in practice, in walk-throughs, all those things, it’s important that you evaluate the entire body of work, right? And we just feel that right now Chase is going to be out of the building, it’s best for our football team.”

When asked if Claypool had played his final snap as a Bear, Eberflus evaded the question with a telling answer.

"Ryan does all the trades and transactions and we’ll decide that as we go forward," Eberflus said.

The Bears gave Claypool numerous chances to buy into their culture, his role in the offense, their way of doing things, and be part of the foundation of a rebuild.

While Eberflus wouldn't divulge what led to Claypool being made inactive, it's evident the wide receiver never got on board.

"When I came here Day 1, I talked about being on time, being respectful, and working hard," Eberflus said. "That, to me, is important for every individual — if it’s a staff member, a player or a coach. That’s where we are. We feel right now this is the best decision for us.

"We have a standard for that. We have standards for that. And if those standards are met then everything’s good. If it’s not, then it’s not."

The Bears tried many ways to find a Claypool-tailored approach. Tolbert, who has coached several big-personality receivers, admitted it took time to find the right buttons to push with Claypool.

"I think losing can be hard for guys to deal with," Kmet, a friend and college teammate of Claypool, said when asked why the situation devolved. "It’s been hard for me to manage but you’ve got to find ways to get back to work, clear your mind, every day. It’s hard– look I haven’t won a game in almost a year now and trust me I take it home with me and it hurts, man, it hurts. It’s hard to deal with it, but we’ve all gotta be adults about it and be able to move on and be able to trust the process set. That can be hard to do sometimes when things aren’t going your way, and maybe you’re not getting the targets you want, and you’re not winning, all those things kinda add up, and you get frustrated, but you have to be a man about it, be an adult about it and be able to reset your mind each and every week and just look to improve yourself individually, each and every day."

Whether or not he found those buttons now seems irrelevant.

Claypool's frustration with the offense, his role, the staff, etc., was exacerbated by the Bears' 14-game losing streak. With no wins and little production, it appears things became untenable with Claypool.

It wasn't one thing that caused the Bears' relationship with Claypool to deteriorate. It was a confluence of events. Fields said Eberflus noted "numerous things" that went into the decision to make Claypool inactive.

The Bears gave him a lot of chances. Key members of the organization -- from Poles to Eberflus, Fields, Kmet, and Mooney -- supported him and stood by him, both on and off the record.

With a potential big payday in his future, the Bears thought they'd get the best out of Claypool to at least be able to somewhat justify the price they paid to get him.

That never happened. The Bears will try to trade Claypool for a late-round pick to recoup some value. Maybe they get it, but it feels likely they will wind up having to waive him.

Either way, everything points to Claypool's time in Chicago being over.

Ryan Poles bids farewell

Ahead of the Bears Thursday night game against the Commanders, Bears general manager Ryan Poles joined ESPN 1000. He broached many subjects on the show, including the Claypool situation.

“You’re always disappointed in the situation and it’s definitely something I take ownership of," Poles said. "Last year in the situation we were in, we wanted to add another receiver to the offense, not only to help us be more productive but also to help Justin take the next step.

"The right thought process was there and I feel comfortable with that. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and we were hoping for him to be a little bit more productive and be someone that could help us take it to the next level.

"I wish him luck."

If all the above information somehow didn't convince you Claypool's time in Chicago is over, this is the final nail in the coffin. Poles was candid about the utter disaster that was the Claypool experiment.

Poles owned up to his mistake, too, taking ownership of the poorly executed trade. You can definitely chalk that up as an error on Poles and the front office. On the bright side, Poles hasn't tried disguising the error. Claypool will soon be off the Bears roster without any fallacy that his tenure could do a 180 in a positive direction.

They messed up. Cut ties. Move on.

That's where the situation lies after Poles solidified Claypool's status.

Now, we await the last part of that process.

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