Bears Trade for WR Chase Claypool

[DABEARSDABOMB]

17 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Good points, its culture changing for this year.

I imagine we will pay him and Mooney both and than look at getting another wideout via the draft (where you have cost control that way and you have cost control in Velus Jones as well).  The nice thing is Mooney seems like the kind of guy that just wants to win and have other guys around him flourish (less ego - he just wants to be great and win).  I also wonder when you put some of these pieces around Mooney can Mooney become a really dynamic guy in the slot - with his speed and route-running, he could just become a total beast, especially if safety's are having to worry about the over the top stuff with Claypool and others (not to mention Mooney can still take it over the top). 

Love the trajectory for the skill position so much more with this one move - but I also have to remember - it will take time to integrate Claypool as well.  I really hope Claypool takes advantage of this too.  

[Mongo3451]

27 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

17 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Good points, its culture changing for this year.

I imagine we will pay him and Mooney both and than look at getting another wideout via the draft (where you have cost control that way and you have cost control in Velus Jones as well). 

Absolutely.  I would extend them both now.  If they mesh well and Justin starts clicking, it's gonna be a lot of extra money.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

6 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

Absolutely.  I would extend them both now.  If they mesh well and Justin starts clicking, it's gonna be a lot of extra money.

I would make them play out their contracts.  Sign them early and those hunger pains go away.  If they become league greats, then I am good paying.  

[BearFan PHX]

4 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

I would make them play out their contracts.  Sign them early and those hunger pains go away.  If they become league greats, then I am good paying.  

I was thinking the same thing. We have tons of cap room going forward - we can afford to allocate WR money at a high level if we have a proven high level WR. No need to be cap crafty right now - now it's time for talent evaluation.

The best thing you can have is great players on long term deals.
The next best thing you can have is picks and cap room to find great players.
The worst thing you can have is not great players signed to long term deals.

Anyone on this team is replaceable right now, but if you ball out, you're gonna get paid.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

I was thinking the same thing. We have tons of cap room going forward - we can afford to allocate WR money at a high level if we have a proven high level WR. No need to be cap crafty right now - now it's time for talent evaluation.

The best thing you can have is great players on long term deals.
The next best thing you can have is picks and cap room to find great players.
The worst thing you can have is not great players signed to long term deals.

Anyone on this team is replaceable right now, but if you ball out, you're gonna get paid.

Claypool has no room to ask for a contract next year unless he balls out the rest of this year and puts up Jamar Chase like numbers.  He does that, i would tell him repeat those numbers and you can look for top WR salary.  I don't know if Mooney will be worthy of top salary but he can get a respectable deal.

[BearFan PHX]

21 minutes ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Claypool has no room to ask for a contract next year unless he balls out the rest of this year and puts up Jamar Chase like numbers.  He does that, i would tell him repeat those numbers and you can look for top WR salary.  I don't know if Mooney will be worthy of top salary but he can get a respectable deal.

agree

[Stinger226]

I heard one of the deals with Chase was he wanted a big contract. He hasn't earned one yet ..Here may be more comfortable for him, he has 3 ex teammates to play with, an actual top flight QB and a place he can earn a high end contract. Him and Mooney have a chance to prove themselves and it starts Sunday.

[adam]

Future draft picks are supposedly worth a round less. So a 3rd rounder this year is worth a 2nd rounder next year, or something close to that. Mainly because you are getting a year's worth of use out of them before the other player is even picked. I don't know how much that gets used, but for the trade, even if the Bears draft 8th, and pick between 38-42 in the 2nd (which goes to PIT). To the Bears, that is basically a half round just to have Claypool for the remainder of this year, making the pick more equivalent to #54-58, which is near the end of the 2nd. 

Also, Claypool is cheap this year, and next year. So it is a super low risk signing if he doesn't work out. However, I always felt like his game (routes that he is good at) were perfect for Fields and will compliment Mooney. If Harry can take on the A-Rob possession WR role, those 3 are a very solid top 3, not great, but solid. 

[BearFan PHX]

10 minutes ago, adam said:

Future draft picks are supposedly worth a round less. So a 3rd rounder this year is worth a 2nd rounder next year, or something close to that. Mainly because you are getting a year's worth of use out of them before the other player is even picked. I don't know how much that gets used, but for the trade, even if the Bears draft 8th, and pick between 38-42 in the 2nd (which goes to PIT). To the Bears, that is basically a half round just to have Claypool for the remainder of this year, making the pick more equivalent to #54-58, which is near the end of the 2nd. 

Also, Claypool is cheap this year, and next year. So it is a super low risk signing if he doesn't work out. However, I always felt like his game (routes that he is good at) were perfect for Fields and will compliment Mooney. If Harry can take on the A-Rob possession WR role, those 3 are a very solid top 3, not great, but solid. 

The more I see and read about Claypool, the more I like him. He needs to prove it on the field to get his big deal, but I can absolutely see him becoming a major force in the league. He has Megatron / Moss like attributes, and if he reaches his potential he is going to be a monster for us. I'm a "show me" kind of guy, but I'm surely not betting against it.

[adam]

Just revisiting this now months after the trade. Obviously the Bears pick got much better for the Steelers than it was projected to be when the trade occurred.

I don't know if Poles does that trade today and gives up #32 for Claypool. That is always the risk of a future draft pick when you don't know where you are picking. This was literally the best possible outcome for the Steelers, making it the worst possible outcome for the Bears. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

3 hours ago, adam said:

Just revisiting this now months after the trade. Obviously the Bears pick got much better for the Steelers than it was projected to be when the trade occurred.

I don't know if Poles does that trade today and gives up #32 for Claypool. That is always the risk of a future draft pick when you don't know where you are picking. This was literally the best possible outcome for the Steelers, making it the worst possible outcome for the Bears. 

Let's say we kept the pick and take a WR at 32.  Who would you rather have?  Claypool or any WR slotted after 32.

I would trade up with that pick for JSN if that is an option. 

[Stinger226]

3 hours ago, adam said:

Just revisiting this now months after the trade. Obviously the Bears pick got much better for the Steelers than it was projected to be when the trade occurred.

I don't know if Poles does that trade today and gives up #32 for Claypool. That is always the risk of a future draft pick when you don't know where you are picking. This was literally the best possible outcome for the Steelers, making it the worst possible outcome for the Bears. 

The final chapter to the story is not printed yet. We have a year to wait.

 

1 minute ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

Let's say we kept the pick and take a WR at 32.  Who would you rather have?  Claypool or any WR slotted after 32.

I would trade up with that pick for JSN if that is an option. 

I don't think Poles is trading up for anyone, try trading back scenarios. There is. 3 or 4 WRs gone before that pick. The list doesn't look as good after.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

3 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

The final chapter to the story is not printed yet. We have a year to wait.

 

I don't think Poles is trading up for anyone, try trading back scenarios. There is. 3 or 4 WRs gone before that pick. The list doesn't look as good after.

 

Poles is not handcuffed to not trading up. We know he is trading down with pick 1.  Don't be surprised if he moves up and down to get his players or Fields players.  Fields said he would like JSN and I don't think it was all love talk to a former teammate. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

22 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

 

Poles is not handcuffed to not trading up. We know he is trading down with pick 1.  Don't be surprised if he moves up and down to get his players or Fields players.  Fields said he would like JSN and I don't think it was all love talk to a former teammate.

If it takes pick 33 and 92 and a 6 or 7th, why not get one of the better WRs that the QB is comfortable with.

[Stinger226]

2 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

 

Poles is not handcuffed to not trading up. We know he is trading down with pick 1.  Don't be surprised if he moves up and down to get his players or Fields players.  Fields said he would like JSN and I don't think it was all love talk to a former teammate. 

I don't think there's any sure thing WRs in the draft like last year. Probably only a few that may turn into  number ones, just not sure who. Therefore someone building thru the draft isn't going to give up draft capital to do that. Now next year, Harrison is that type of WR, you trade up for. We should have ammo to do that.

[adam]

The Bears didn't have to use #32 on a WR. 

[Pixote]

If Claypool had put up solid #2 WR stats the last few games of the season, after having a chance to familiarize himself to the system, I would have no second thoughts on the trade. There is still a chance that this year he will produce more in line with what we had hoped. Just as we expect Fields to improve his passing efficiency with a better OL (fingers crossed) our WRs should also benefit. Then, of course, Claypool and our WRs will have time in the off season to work with Fields.

My hope is that Claypool will give us minimum 60/750/5. If he can add that to go along with a productive #1 WR (FA?/Draft?), Mooney, and Kmet (or upgrade), our offense will be a top 10.

[Mongo3451]

17 minutes ago, Pixote said:

My hope is that Claypool will give us minimum 60/750/5. If he can add that to go along with a productive #1 WR (FA?/Draft?), Mooney, and Kmet (or upgrade), our offense will be a top 10.

You know what's funny, is that all three you mentioned could have that identical stat line and I would be very happy with it.

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, Mongo3451 said:

You know what's funny, is that all three you mentioned could have that identical stat line and I would be very happy with it.

I think one of them will stand out but that should be a minimum line for all 3 . Also I expect V Jones to make a contribution. I think Poles adds a medium   priced vet and drafts one in middle rounds. 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

13 hours ago, adam said:

The Bears didn't have to use #32 on a WR. 

They didn't but did. 

Going off Claypools college tape and his first year, he was worth 32.  He will be much improved year 2 since he will know the playbook and have some chemistry built with Fields.  He potential is still more than most WRs in the 23 draft. 

[Stinger226]

6 hours ago, ASHKUM BEAR said:

They didn't but did. 

Going off Claypools college tape and his first year, he was worth 32.  He will be much improved year 2 since he will know the playbook and have some chemistry built with Fields.  He potential is still more than most WRs in the 23 draft. 

He compares to all the big WRs in this draft. Quentin Johnson and Chase Claypool. are clones. CC is 4.2 , QJ is 4.3_ speed.

[adam]

Claypool has played in 46 games and only had 3x 100 yard games and he has never had 10 receptions in a game. In comparison, Mooney had 4x 120 yard games in 2021 with a 12 reception game. Claypool was targeted over 10 times 5 times, Mooney 4 times, so he had opportunities to do so.

They need to unlock him. It doesn't seem like he was used properly in PIT. 

In his last game in college, a bowl game against Iowa St, Claypool had 7-146 and 1 TD, which was his 2nd best game of his career. So he has it in him to be a lot better than he has shown.

 

[BearFan PHX]

5 hours ago, adam said:

Claypool has played in 46 games and only had 3x 100 yard games and he has never had 10 receptions in a game. In comparison, Mooney had 4x 120 yard games in 2021 with a 12 reception game. Claypool was targeted over 10 times 5 times, Mooney 4 times, so he had opportunities to do so.

They need to unlock him. It doesn't seem like he was used properly in PIT. 

In his last game in college, a bowl game against Iowa St, Claypool had 7-146 and 1 TD, which was his 2nd best game of his career. So he has it in him to be a lot better than he has shown.

 

^^ This

Claypool is raw and needs coaching. Hopefully Fields' leadership does something for him too. He has the physical skills, he just needs to figure things out. Im guessing Fields speaks his language, so maybe he will get thru to him about how to play the game properly.

[AZ54]

Pitt started him outside then tried to make him into a big slot  WR.   He wasn’t comfortable there and I don’t think that fits his skillset the best.   Get him back outside where he can threaten the deep perimeter.  Draft a good slot WR.  We will sometimes use VJJ out of the slot  too.  

[ASHKUM BEAR]

3 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Pitt started him outside then tried to make him into a big slot  WR.   He wasn’t comfortable there and I don’t think that fits his skillset the best.   Get him back outside where he can threaten the deep perimeter.  Draft a good slot WR.  We will sometimes use VJJ out of the slot  too.  

Jaxon Smith Njigba is a great slot WR....just saying.