Former Steelers WR Making Another NFL Comeback Attempt

PITTSBURGH -- It's becoming a bit of annual tradition now for a former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver to hint at an NFL comeback, and we've been treated once again.

It's been four years since the Steelers dealt former 2020 second-round pick Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears. In that time, Claypool's career has fallen off a cliff, as he went from a two-time 800-yard receiver to out of the NFL.

Claypool last played a real game in the NFL in 2023, but that might change this season. The Notre Dame product is making another go of it and sent out the latest reminder came via his Instagram account. In a recent post, he shared highlights of him in a Steelers uniform with the caption "Back soon."

What This Means for Claypool

This update has become a broken record from Claypool, but it's quite obvious what his intentions are.

Claypool has been trying to get back to the NFL since the 2023 season, when he played in nine games with the Miami Dolphins. He was close in 2024, when he signed with the Buffalo Bills, but an injury ended his season before the preseason began. In 2025, we heard a comeback attempt was imminent, but nothing came of it.

At 27 years old, he hasn't given up hope. A big bodied receiver standing a 6'4", he has the ideal size that many teams covet at the receiver position. The more important question for prospective NFL teams is whether or not his health and production can sustain.

It's been five years since Claypool was viewed as a rising star at the position. There aren't many players who get a second, third, or even fourth chance in the NFL, and with Claypool's cumulative 217 receiving yards since leaving Pittsburgh, why would a team take a chance on him over a whole pool of untested and younger players?

Claypool Trade Keeps Paying Off for Steelers

It's not an understatement to say that the deal the Steelers swung with the Bears in 2022 was one of the most lopsided in recent memory. The Bears sent the Steelers a 2023 second-round pick for Claypool. At the time it felt like a big haul for the Steelers, but in the days since, it's made Chicago look terrible.

The Steelers used that second-round pick, the 33rd overall selection, on cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Not only did the Bears overpay for very little production, they lost their chance to take a franchise cornerback. That extra bit of salt in the wound makes this deal one of the Steelers' best, and one of the Bears' absolute worst.

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