With the NFL trade deadline just over a week away, teams are beginning to pick up the phone and inquire about players who may be available. One big name that could potentially be on the move is Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Per ESPN, Claypool is one of the wideouts who teams expect to be available prior to the Nov. 1 trade deadline. The Steelers have a solid wide receiving corps with recently extended Diontae Johnson and rookie George Pickens, but ESPN reports that multiple NFL executives believed Claypool was even available in the preseason. However, what could make a deal tough is what Pittsburgh is reportedly expecting in return.
A league executive who makes trades for his team told SI.com that a potential Claypool trade could look similar to what the San Francisco 49ers gave up for star running back Christian McCaffrey earlier this week. A deal that includes "multiple" second-round picks, among other selections.
The former second-round pick out of Notre Dame is in the third year of his rookie deal. He burst onto the scene as a rookie, catching 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020, but hasn't been able to keep that pace. Claypool is averaging a career-low 37.5 receiving yards per game this season, but is coming off of an impressive performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he caught all seven targets for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Claypool is a big target that has legitimate star potential. During an appearance on the I AM ATHLETE podcast earlier this year, he claimed he can be a top-three receiver in the league.
"My second year, I was a better football player than I was my first year," Claypool said. "The plays just didn't work out, some of the plays didn't go my way, I didn't make some plays I needed to make. But as a football player, understanding the game, knowing what to do, knowing where to be, I was better. So I'm gonna be better this year.
"I know for a fact, I'm not like the rest of the guys in the NFL. I know I'm a top-five receiver. I know I'm a top-three receiver."
Just 24 years old, Claypool is an interesting trade-deadline target that teams could be interested in.
