The Chicago Bears are trading receiver Chase Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick, league sources said Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Claypool was a good substitute in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos and was not present when the team defeated the Washington Commanders on “Thursday Night Football.”
- Bears coach Matt Eberflus told Claypool not to come to the facility this week. “We thought it was best for the team,” Eberflus said Monday.
- The 25-year-old Claypool, whom Chicago signed for a second-round pick at last season’s trade deadline, has 18 receptions in 10 games with the Bears.
How we got here
Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles both called Claypool on Saturday to tell him he would not be active against the Broncos. Eberflus would not say how Claypool reacted to the news.
“We’ll leave it there,” Eberflus said Monday. “It’s between me and him.”
Eberflus said he and the Poles also called Claypool early Monday to let him know he would be staying home for the week while the Bears prepared for the Commanders game at Halas Hall.
“I would just say we thought it was best for the team,” Eberflus said.
He repeated this message several times during his press conference.
“I would say what we think is best for the team. And how we act here as a football team. The Chicago Bears. When I came here on the first day I talked about being on time, being respectful and working hard. This is important to me for every individual – be it an employee, a player or a coach. That’s where we are. We feel this is the best decision for us at this time.”
Last Friday, Claypool said he didn’t think the Bears had put him in the best position to utilize his skills.
“I wouldn’t say it’s not an ideal place for me,” Claypool said. “Of course there are other places too. 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 do with what you have.”
There’s more to Claypool’s replacement and inevitable departure than just what he said last week about his coaches. Eberflus said he did not respond to Claypool’s statement. Instead, Eberflus was more interested in what was happening — or not happening — in meetings, tours and exercises with Claypool.
“We have a standard for that; We have standards for that,” said Eberflus. “And if these standards are met, everything is good. If not, then it’s not.”
Claypool was heavily criticized earlier this season after clips from Chicago’s Week 1 game appeared to show him barely attempting to block or run routes against the Green Bay Packers. Claypool later apologized to his teammates.
Required reading
(Photo: Brett Davis / USA Today)