What’s next for the Chicago Bears and Chase Claypool?

The Chase Claypool situation with the Chicago Bears has gone from bad to worse in 36 hours.

Claypool was a healthy scratch in Week 4. While that alone is an ominous sign for his future with the team, the fact the Bears told him to stay home and not be at Soldier Field on Sunday seemed to seal his fate.

On Monday, coach Matt Eberflus confirmed on ESPN 1000 that Claypool won’t re-join the team this week as the Bears prepare for their Thursday night game against the Washington Commanders.

Bears’ HC Matt Eberflus told ESPN1000 in Chicago that WR Chase Claypool will remain away from the team this week as it prepares for Thursday night’s game vs. the Commanders.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 2, 2023

I think it’s safe to assume Chase Claypool’s tenure with the Chicago Bears is over. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer tweeted on Sunday that the Bears were shopping Claypool in trade discussions, but at this point, GM Ryan Poles will be lucky to get a late-day-three pick a year or two into the future for the disgruntled receiver.

Claypool’s time with the Bears has been worse than a bust. After trading a 2023 second-round pick to the Steelers (which turned out to be the 32nd overall pick in April), Claypool’s appeared in 10 games and has snagged 18 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown.

Chase Claypool trade is GM Ryan Poles’ biggest miss

There’s no other way to put it: Poles’ decision to trade for Claypool was his worst move as the Bears’ general manager. At the time, the logic seemed sound. He wanted to add a playmaker to pair with Fields, who was on a heater when the deal was struck.

Instead, Claypool has turned into a distraction whose play isn’t good enough to deal with everything that comes with him. His work ethic has been questioned, and he’s looked like an underprepared and overwhelmed player since donning Bears colors.

From what I have been told, there are several culminating factors that went into Chase Claypool being benched for Week 4. His comments on Friday were certainly glaring, but there’s a reason why Matt Eberflus, on @ESPN1000, once again pointed to all the factors that go into the…

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) October 2, 2023

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Chicago Bears outright released Chase Claypool. The rest of the NFL knows this relationship has reached a breaking point. Interested teams would likely rather wait until Claypool is cut rather than send a draft pick to Chicago for him.

Poles and the Bears have to apply the sunken cost fallacy when it comes to the Claypool miss. Just because they traded a second-round pick for him doesn’t mean he has to stick around. Move on. It’s over. He stinks. And it’s OK.

Allowing Claypool to get third, fourth, and fifth (keep going) chances is a bad message, and it goes against the culture narrative that Poles and Eberflus have emphasized since taking over.

Hey, there’s always hope for Marvin Harrison Jr., right?

Subscribe to The Bears Talk Podcast: APPLE | SPOTIFY | GOOGLE