The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded Canadian receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, according to ESPN reporter Field Yates.
The 24-year-old has caught 32 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown this season, putting him on pace for the least-productive year of his career. He was the Steelers’ fourth-leading receiver at the time of the trade behind Diontae Johnson (372 yards), Pat Freiermuth (367 yards), and George Pickens (338 yards).
Pittsburgh’s offence has been poor through eight games on the year, ranking last in scoring with 15.0 points per game and fifth-last in yardage with 298.8 per game. Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett took over from veteran Mitch Trubisky as the starter in Week 5 and has struggled since, throwing for 962 yards, two touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Claypool was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Notre Dame and had a sensational rookie season. He caught 62 passes for 873 yards that year and scored 11 touchdowns with nine through the air and two on the ground.
The native of Abbotsford, B.C. posted virtually identical yardage the following season, recording 59 receptions for 860 yards, though he scored only two touchdowns.
The outspoken and sometimes controversial receiver stated before the season that he believes he is a top-three receiver in the NFL and set a goal of 1,300 receiving yards on the year. He made history this past weekend when he became the first Canadian-born player to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season NFL game since Jesse Palmer in 2003.
The Bears lack offensive weapons in the receiving corps and currently rank last in the league with 126.9 passing yards per game. The team traded for Canadian receiver N’Keal Harry earlier this season and he has dressed for two games since recovering from a high ankle sprain, recording three catches for 38 yards and one touchdown.
The NFL trade deadline is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
