Chase Claypool Reveals The (Stupid) Reason He Basically Quit In Chicago

It didn't take long for Chase Claypool to wear out his welcome with the Chicago Bears. After trading for him in October of 2022, he played ten games, amassed 191 yards and one touchdown, ran his mouth about the coaches not using him properly, and was gone. That has to be some kind of record. It became clear the team brass of GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus were tired of his inconsistency and lack of commitment. The only question left unanswered was why he let things spiral so fast.

None of it had to do with lacking effort on the Bears' part. They targeted him 43 times in those ten games. They made it a point to get him involved. Claypool only caught 18 of those passes. There is no way the other 25 were off-target and uncatchable. That kind of discrepancy speaks to a receiver unwilling to fight for the ball. Claypool finally broke his silence this week in his first interview as a member of the Dolphins. He was asked what went wrong in Chicago. His answer via the Miami Herald was weak and entirely predictable.

“I think that when you lose a lot of games in a row, there’s frustration, naturally,” Claypool said, via The Miami Herald. “I think that’s new for everybody. I’m sure from the top down. So I think just being excited getting some wins and stuff like that. I think that just comes naturally. And once you start winning, things start getting less frustrating obviously.”

Chase Claypool has always been about excuses.

Does he think he was the only one frustrated by the losing? He was only there for ten of them. Most of his teammates had to endure an entire month's extra prior to his arrival. Did any of them bitch and moan while deciding not to give 100% effort? Nope. It probably isn't an accident that the Bears started playing better immediately after they benched him. They scored 28 points and should've beaten Denver. Then they walloped Washington 40-20. Justin Fields has looked like a completely different quarterback when not forced to try keeping Claypool happy.

This is merely confirmation that Poles made the right decision moving on so quickly. Previous GMs might've tried keeping him around, hoping to get something out of him so they don't have to admit they made a mistake. The Bears recognized Chase Claypool was immature, entitled, and would never make them a better football team. He might be on a winning team now, but don't be surprised if the distractions of Miami end up making him useless there, too.