Getty Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool recently said he wants to be a "top-3 receiver" in the NFL.
Chase Claypool’s first half-season with the Chicago Bears hasn’t lived up to the expectations many fans had when the team traded a second-round pick to add him at the 2022 NFL trade deadline, but the 24-year-old still believes he can become one of the top three wide receivers in the league.
Claypool recently set down with Bears play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak for a Player Profile interview for the team’s website and discussed some of the lofty career goals he has set for himself, including eventually ascending to the elite echelon of NFL receivers.
“It is my goal to be a top three receiver,” Claypool told Joniak, “and I will always believe I can achieve that goal. I don’t think I’m there right now, I’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of plays to be made, but I think I can get there for sure. And I’ll always root for myself.”
Claypool will certainly have the opportunity to take his career to new heights in 2023 with the Bears. Not only will have a full offseason to pore over the playbook and build chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields, but he will also do with newfound excitement and confidence knowing that Chicago gave up a premium draft pick to acquire him and fully believes in his potential as a playmaker for the offense.
“I’m super excited because I’m at a place where they see me as that piece in the puzzle,” Claypool said. “Every year, I take stuff from the last year in terms of the offseason, working out and getting ready for the season, and this will be my biggest one yet. And despite what people may say, I’m really excited for what they’ll say later.”
Claypool Has All the Makings of a Dynamic ‘X’ Receiver
When the Bears traded away the better of their two second-round picks — currently projected to be No. 33 overall — to acquire Claypool at the November 1 deadline, it seemed like a move that made a ton of sense for a stripped-down rebuilding roster. They were gaining a 6-foot-4, 238-pound receiver with an 80-inch wingspan and all the physicality desired in a big ‘X’ receiver, which the Bears were desperately lacking.
Unfortunately, in six games with the Bears, Claypool has struggled to stand out quite the way many hoped he would. He has caught just 12 passes for 11 yards and no touchdowns with his most recent outing against the Detroit Lions in Week 17 yielding a one-target, zero-catch day for him. He has also missed two games with a knee injury, which doesn’t help matters for either him or the Bears’ banged-up receiving corps.
While the Bears could have benefitted in 2022 from a refined Claypool, though, the bigger picture is focused on what he manages to do in 2023 and beyond for the team. Instead of coming in and trying to pick up a complex offense midway through the year, Claypool will have an entire offseason to pore over every inch of the playbook and to build more chemistry with Fields, who did the same thing with Darnell Mooney in 2022.
Claypool might not be proven with the Bears just yet, but he did put plenty of good things on tape during his two-and-a-half seasons with the Steelers. He averaged 14.3 yards per reception over his two seasons with Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback and put up more than 800 receiving yards in each one. He also proved to be a reliable third-down weapon for Big Ben, all of which could benefit Fields and the Bears.
Claypool ‘Excited’ About Big 2023 Offseason for Bears
The Bears made a strong investment in Claypool’s development when they pulled the trigger on trading for him back in November, but the third-year receiver also knows that general manager Ryan Poles isn’t done transforming the roster for next season. According to Over the Cap, the Bears are projected to have more than $120 million in cap space for the 2023 season and will have several premium draft assets, which could include either the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft this spring.
That’s enough to make even the players excited for what’s to come for the Bears.
“We’re going to be such a good football team, next year even,” Claypool said. “You know, people could look at this team and say, ‘rebuild team,’ and that takes a couple of years. I think we’ve been so close to so many wins, one-possession games or the last possession of the game having a chance to win it. So, I think once we get those core pieces and the younger guys get a little bit older, things start to get a little bit easier. So I’m excited, really excited.”