Steelers Former Disgruntled WR Chase Claypool Refuses To Believe He's The Problem; Takes Huge Dig At Bears Offensive Approach

The Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan seemed to have pulled off one of the bigger trade swindles in some time. Back in 2022, wide receiver, Chase Claypool seemed like he was giving the team more headaches than he was doing them favors. Just prior to the trade deadline, Khan worked out a deal to send him to the Chicago Bears for a second-round draft pick in 2022. That turned into Joey Porter Jr. and while he has yet to showcase his full ability and arsenal, getting rid of Claypool is looking like one of the better decisions Pittsburgh has made in the 21st century in terms of parting ways with a player.

It hasn't been the best of situations for Claypool since he left the Steel City. He only has 191 receiving yards on 18 receptions. He didn't have a touchdown until he finally snagged one in the Bears Week 2 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has a young quarterback in Justin Fields, but has barely been looked at in the passing game during his 10 games on the field with Chicago.

Steelers Proven Right To Trade Claypool As Each Days Goes By

Things continue to get worse for Claypool as he currently sits at sixth on the Bears roster in receiving with two running backs and a tight end ahead of him. His frustration is mounting and it showed on Friday when he spoke with the media in the Chicago locker room. He was specifically asked if he believes that the team is using and involving him enough so that he can display his abilities. One word was enough for the clearly disgruntled pass catcher.

It came to a point in Pittsburgh when anything Claypool said or did was maddening to fans and now it's very possible that the already-frustrated fans in Chicago (thanks to an 0-3 start) are fuming with the smirk on the wide receiver's face as he thinks about whether he should answer the question or not. His ego and attitude has always been a topic of discussion.

Claypool took the league by storm in his rookie year after the Steelers selected him in the second round back in 2020. He wasn't as impressive as Justin Jefferson, but had a respectable nine receiving touchdowns and added two on the ground. He appeared to be the next big home run from the front office as far as successfully drafting wide receivers goes.

He quickly came back to reality in 2021. He had 860 yards receiving, but only scored twice and he seemed much more focused on his personal brand than he did winning football games in Pittsburgh. He has not displayed maturity as his professional career has continued on and it still seems like he hasn't figured it out. If a player takes issue to how he is being utilized, it's a conversation for behind closed doors with the coaching staff.

Instead, Claypool used the media to get his point across and his sly grin makes it even worse. Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus recently wouldn't rule out Claypool being inactive on Sundays. It hasn't happened yet, but comments like these are exactly what could land Claypool on the bench permanently. It's an important year for him as he will be a free agent in 2024 and he is continuously digging himself a deeper hole and proving that he is not worth any investment.

The good news is that Claypool is no longer the Steelers' problem. Even if Porter Jr. doesn't turn out to be an All-Pro cornerback, having the chance to get a nice return for a wide receiver who might not be in the league as long as he expects should be seen by the overwhelming majority as a win. On Claypool's end, he will quickly need to get his attitude in check. Losing is never fun, but someone on an 0-3 team without many personal achievements is even worse, and he's letting his true side show.

Will Claypool ever make the Steelers regret trading him? Let us know in the comments below!

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