The Chase Claypool era in Chicago is officially over.
The Chicago Bears are trading Claypool to the Miami Dolphins, the team announced Friday.
Chicago had been trying to trade Claypool since last week, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and they finally were able to get a deal done.
As far as compensation goes, the Bears are receiving a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round selection.
🚨 🚨 🚨
The #Bears are trading WR Chase Claypool to the #Dolphins, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. This ends a prolonged drama and gives Claypool a fresh start. They have tried to trade him since last week after he was a healthy scratch. Now, everyone moves on. pic.twitter.com/RKJHrllA1T
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 6, 2023
Bears general manager Ryan Poles addressed the Claypool situation on ESPN 1000 ahead of last night’s game against the Washington Commanders, where he all but closed the chapter on Claypool’s time in Chicago.
“I always look at things from a player’s perspective,” Poles said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “You have a player going into his free agent year, who wants to be productive and help us, and when things aren’t going the right way, sometimes you get emotional, things don’t work out and you struggle to blend in and keep resilient and stay resilient with the rest of the crew. I think Chase is going to learn from this situation, we all will, and I wish him luck moving forward throughout his career.”
The Bears sent their 2023 second-round pick — which turned into No. 32 overall — to the Steelers last November for Claypool. He played in just 10 games with the Bears, recording 18 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown. Claypool never won a game in Chicago. The trade will go down as Poles’ worst move in his early years as GM.
Now, Claypool gets a fresh start with his third team.