(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN was on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday afternoon with Andrew Fillipponi, and Fowler said agents he's talked to think Claypool is a player that the Steelers will get trade calls on this offseason. Teams will be looking to buy low because of the maturity issues, according to Fowler.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington most likely leaving the Steelers via free agency in March, it would be really surprising if the Steelers dealt Claypool.
It would take a desperate team to give up at least a second-round pick for Claypool, and that team could be the Jets.
On the Flight Deck Podcast, Rich Cimini of ESPN was asked does he think the Jets will make a splashy move this offseason via trade? And one name he said to keep an eye on is Claypool.
“Even a guy like Chase Claypool in Pittsburgh. There are some maturity issues and I wonder if the Steelers would put him on the market," Cimini said via Paul A. Esden Jr. of Heavy.com
Claypool had a great rookie season but fell off in Year 2. And I think the maturity issues played a big part. It seemed like he got cocky after his impressive rookie season. But defensive coordinators in the NFL catch on quickly, and having just one good season doesn't guarantee consistent success.
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers understandably weren't happy with Claypool's antics in 2021. There was the suggestion for music to be played at practice the day after the Steelers got blown out 41-10 to the Bengals in Week 12, and then there was the infamous first-down point celebration against the Vikings in Week 14 that cost the Steelers valuable time on a final drive and they ended up losing 36-28.
As mentioned, I don't think the Steelers will give up on Claypool and trade him away. I don't think the maturity issues have got to the point where the Steelers just can't tolerate him anymore. If a team like the Jets offer a second-round pick for Claypool, however, I wonder how intrigued the Steelers would be. I mean, they could possibly get a better receiver than Claypool in the second round. Claypool's route-running and ability to get separation needs a ton of work.