Nobody is more eager for the 2023 season to begin than Chase Claypool. It’s easy to understand why. His 2022 campaign was frustrating for many reasons. The team that drafted him years ago decided to trade him midway through the year. Then upon arrival with the Chicago Bears, he struggled with the offensive system and injury setbacks. Many outspoken critics of the trade used it as fodder to criticize the organization for spending way too much draft capital on a player they deemed overrated.
Needless to say, that puts a lot of pressure on Claypool to bounce back this year. He’s not off to a great start, having missed most of OTAs and veteran minicamps with nagging soft tissue injuries. This doesn’t seem to have dampened his optimism, though. People at talkSPORT.com caught up with him during his European trip to ask his thoughts on what to expect this season. Claypool didn’t give a standard, evasive answer. He came right out and said he believes fans will be surprised at how much better the team (and he) will play.
Chase Claypool has to play well. He has to.
If not for the Bears, then definitely for himself. Everybody agrees the most important contract for an NFL player is the second one. That is when his money-making potential is at its peak. If you don’t maximize that contract, you’ll never get a chance to make your maximum value. If Claypool wants to secure his financial future, he has to play well in 2023. That is the only way the Bears or anybody else will hand him a lucrative contract. The luster of his breakout rookie season has all but faded. People are starting to doubt he’s anything more than a decent #3 option.
It won’t be easy. Justin Fields will have to get him the ball frequently. With D.J. Moore and Darnell Mooney also needing targets, Chase Claypool must find a way to maximize his opportunities. That means either a lot of big plays or a lot of touchdowns. Bears fans would be happy with either. It’s a safe assumption he probably needs to crack at least 700 yards or eight touchdowns to get people serious about him returning in 2024 and beyond. Otherwise, the organization might be content letting him walk.
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