Top landing spots for disgruntled Bears WR Chase Claypool

The rift between the Chicago Bears and receiver Chase Claypool continues to grow.

The 25-year-old wideout was a healthy scratch in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos and was reportedly told by Bears officials to stay away from the team. Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed that Claypool will remain away from the team this week as it prepares for the Washington Commanders on “Thursday Night Football.”

With reports that Claypool is on the trade block, here’s a look at a few teams that could be interested in acquiring him:

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are reportedly looking to add to their WR room, and rookie QB Bryce Young could certainly use a 6-foot-4 weapon capable of winning 50/50 jump balls and hauling in contested catches in the end zone.

Adam Thielen (27 receptions, 287 yards, two touchdowns) has been a fine free-agent addition, but at 33 he’s more suited to be a WR2 instead of a No. 1 target. Claypool is still young enough that in the right situation (like Carolina), he could return to the promising production he had as a rookie when he caught 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 14.1 yards per reception.

Cincinnati Bengals

Tee Higgins is the latest high-profile injury across the NFL, and after suffering a rib fracture in Sunday’s 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans, it’s possible the Bengals could be in the market for a short-term solution while Higgins heals up, especially if Joe Burrow is insistent on playing through his lingering calf issue.

Ja’Marr Chase is the sixth-most targeted receiver in the NFL (41), and if defenses start double-teaming him without the threat of Higgins on the opposite side, Cincy’s offense is going to struggle. Adding Claypool gives Burrow a big target to throw to in the red zone and takes some of the pressure off Chase to play Superman. And if Claypool were to work out, the Bengals could simply re-sign him for far less money than Higgins will likely command in the offseason.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers really wanted Claypool last year at the trade deadline only to lose him to the Bears, so why not make another run at him now? Sure, it might cost them a little more than other teams as Chicago’s division rival, but the situation is so volatile the Bears might not care at this point.

Romeo Doubs has looked great as Green Bay’s top target this season, but with Christian Watson easing back into the mix after missing the first three weeks of the season, Claypool would give the Packers a physical, big-bodied receiver to pair with Doubs, Watson and rookie Jayden Reed to truly open the playbook and force opposing defensive coordinators to defend for every inch of the field.

Los Angeles Chargers

Replacing Mike Williams, who’s lost for the year after suffering a season-ending ACL tear, is no easy task. Claypool might be the Chargers' best bet. He’s similar in size to the 6-foot-4, 218-pound Williams, and he’s used to seeing a high volume of targets (he had 79 or more in his first three seasons, including 100 or more in two of them).

With the Bears reportedly only seeking a fifth- or sixth-round pick in return, this could be a strong temporary solution for Los Angeles with Claypool becoming a free agent at the end of the season and there being no commitment to him beyond the remaining 13 games of 2023. 

Kansas City Chiefs

Nearly 52% of Kansas City’s 95 receptions this season have come from running backs and tight ends. Rookie Rashee Rice is the Chiefs leader among receivers in receptions (13) and targets (19), and he’s second in yards (140), and the team needs to give him some help with the Kadarius Toney experiment not quite working out.

Patrick Mahomes is good enough of a QB to make it work with a subpar receiving core, but why make him? Rice looks like he’s going to be a good NFL player and might even be a future No. 1 WR, but adding Claypool will help stretch the field and make an explosive Chiefs passing game even more dangerous.