Early in his NFL tenure, the star burned bright for former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Now, that star is about burned out, which has him potentially heading up north back to his home in Canada to play in the Canadian Football League thanks to a development from the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
According to 3downnation.com, the Roughriders have added Claypool to the team’s exclusive negotiating list.
Based on CFL bylaws, the league’s teams can claim exclusive rights for up to 45 players by placing them on their negotiation lists. Players can be added, removed or traded from the lists at any time. Those lists must be submitted in September and December.
A second-round pick in 2020 by the Steelers, Claypool burst onto the scene and looked like a star in the making for the Black and Gold. In his rookie season, Claypool scored 11 touchdowns and was a big, physical element the Steelers hadn’t had at the position in some time.
During the 2020 season, Claypool finished with 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns. The Notre Dame product then had a strong 2021 season as well with 59 receptions for 860 yards and two touchdowns, but after that things fell apart. He struggled to make plays down the field in contested-catch situations and wasn’t much of a blocker despite his size and strength.
Then, eight games into the 2022 season, Claypool was traded to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick, which eventually turned into the first pick of the second round leading to the Steelers landing cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
His time in Chicago was a bit of a disaster, continuing a downward trend for the former second-round pick. Claypool played in seven games with three starts after the trade from the Steelers and struggled to produce in a new situation, catching just 14 passes on 29 targets for 140 yards. He didn’t find the end zone, either.
In 2023 he played in just three games with two starts for the Bears, but struggled to produce again. He caught just four passes on 14 targets for 51 yards and a touchdown, his only score in a Bears uniform, before being shipped to the Miami Dolphins in early October in a pick swap in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Dolphins sent the Bears a 2025 sixth-round pick for Claypool with the Bears’ 2025 seventh-round pick going back to Miami.
His time in South Beach was quiet. Though he played in nine games, he had just four receptions for 26 yards and hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. No teams have shown interest to date, which led to the Roughriders adding him to their exclusive negotiating list.
A return to Canada could be best for Claypool. He was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and grew up there before heading to Notre Dame.
The Roughriders went 6-12 last season in the CFL, scoring just 387 points, the second fewest in the league.
