There are plenty of moments the Chicago Bears' front office would like to take back with deals they made in trades with one of them being the move made to bring in wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Back in 2022, the Bears struck a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire Claypool in exchange for a second-round pick. What was the result of that trade? He played in 10 games and was then sent to the Miami Dolphins the following year.
Well, it looks like Claypool is trying his hand once again at returning to the NFL. He wrote on his Instagram page that he is ready to make a comeback in the league.
"I deeply and truly believe that the pieces will align," Claypool wrote via CBS Sports, "and I will work my way into the position to show off what's been suppressed these last two years."
"Signing with Buffalo was the best thing that could've ever happened to me. I was the strongest, fastest, and most prepared I had ever been. I was playing my best football -- working my way up from LAST (14th) string to taking first-team reps by camp. Most of all, I was doing it with a group of guys I truly appreciated."
"I am back to being the strongest and fastest I've ever been and couldn't be more excited to step back out on the field and let my actions speak for themselves."
Claypool's time in Chicago and his shot of having a productive career
Claypool was a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2020, and he got off to a decent start with 800-plus yard seasons in each of his first two years. Then, midway through the 2022 season, Pittsburgh sent Claypool to the Bears and used Chicago's second-round pick to pick cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the next draft.
Chicago was hoping that Claypool would become the number one receiver they had been looking for, quarterback Justin Fields. That was not the case as he caught 18 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown in 10 games. He would get traded again the following year to the Dolphins for a measly seventh-round pick in 2025.
The Steelers trade is considered to be one of the worst all-time trades in franchise history as the Steelers got a starting cornerback while the Bears didn't even get a year of productivity from Claypool. It was a forgettable nightmare that Chicago is still trying to move on from.
Claypool was the last player cut from the NFL roster at training camp last year with the Buffalo Bills, but did not make the team. He's hoping to get one more shot at the NFL to prove that he can still play.
The Bears franchise and the fan base are wishing him the best, but that comeback story won't happen in the Windy City. Too much went wrong during that short time for Claypool.
What went wrong was Claypool was in 2023, that season started with him being criticized and eventually having to apologize for making low efforts in the Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, It didn't get much better when a few weeks later he criticized the coaching staff publicly for not putting him in the best position to succeeded.
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It was a different coaching staff in a different time, and he might have been right about some things, but it's probably best not to revisit something that's looked down upon in Chicago. Hopefully, Claypool can find success in the NFL elsewhere, but the Bears would not be an excellent option for anyone.