Fans and analysts have discussed the Chicago Bears trade for Chase Claypool up and down. While fans will say that this year is going to be the telling factor in whether the Bears win the trade, there is an argument to be made that the trade is already a loss.
The complications with the Chicago Bears extending Chase Claypool
No matter what Chase Claypool does this season, it is going to cause complications when it comes to his market in free agency. Of course, if he plays poorly, then all fans will agree that this was a lost cause.
If he plays well, there is still a question about what will happen with his future in Chicago. The Bears may want to sign him, but we have seen that Claypool can be confident in himself. There is a chance that he can easily get away as an unrestricted free agent if he plays well. There is almost no way that he can play well enough to get franchise tagged, which brings up the next issue.
No matter how well Chase Claypool plays, there will still be a year or two of struggles in the back of your mind when you look at him. Claypool had nine touchdowns as a rookie and has 12 in his three-year career. If he has nine again, who is to say that was not another random high, and he will be ba back to one and two touchdowns the following years? It would make sense that his play would be up and down and almost random because he is a contested catch target. So, if he is hot when it is time to get paid, do the Chicago Bears want to be the team to pay because there is a real chance it does not last long term?
The Bears could see Claypool want to get paid, and the Bears could not want to pay him what he thinks he can get if he does excel. Or, the Chicago Bears do overpay for Claypool, and the fans pay for it down the road. It can get tricky.,
A best case is almost somewhere in the middle. He can produce, but most of his touches are schemed up in the offense, and due to him being a secondary option. This could show Claypool that the production can be here and a role is around. However, his numbers also will not be so high that he is eyeing the chance to cash into the highest bidder.
It will be interesting to see how Claypool performs, and how that impacts his salary as he prepares for free agency.