The one and only deal the Lions could make for Chase Claypool
This is something that I never thought I would write. Even a few hours ago I thought it was crazy to even consider a world where the Detroit Lions would even consider the idea of trading for Chicago Bears receiver Chase Claypool. Then my colleague Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweeted this. Now I'm […]
This is something that I never thought I would write. Even a few hours ago I thought it was crazy to even consider a world where the Detroit Lions would even consider the idea of trading for Chicago Bears receiver Chase Claypool. Then my colleague Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweeted this.
Now I'm sitting here in front of my computer re-thinking the entire thing. Justin makes a point. The Lions have really been trying to get an X receiver to this team for a while and they keep striking out on it.
Tyrell Williams got hurt immediately in the first game of the 2021 season. He hasn't played since. Breshad Perriman got cut at the end of camp in 2021, Chark worked when healthy, but he couldn't stay healthy and Denzel Mims came in hot, but got hurt. It's just been strikeout after strikeout for this one spot.
So here the Lions are presented with an opportunity to try again and for really cheap. When I say really cheap, I mean really cheap. Cheaper than what they laughably think they can get right now.
Here's what I'm thinking. This guy really needs to prove himself. No team should make a deal for Claypool without first putting in some conditions.
If the Lions were to make this move, the conditions would have to be something to the effect of Claypool has to play a certain percentage of the teams snaps. Another one is that the Lions would maybe have to re-sign him at the end of the season in order for the deal to go through. The more realistic one is that he has to play a certain amount of snaps by the end of the year though.
The Lions are no stranger to the conditional draft pick trade. They've made two this year alone. They traded a conditional 2026 7th round pick to the Jaguars for Riley Patterson and they traded a conditional 2025 6th round pick to the Jets for Denzel Mims. The conditions for both was that they had to make the Lions roster out of camp.
Patterson did, but Mims didn't. So the Lions keep that 6th round pick and everyone forgets the deal ever happened. The ball is totally in the Lions court on this entire deal.
So with that in mind, I'm offering the Bears a 2025 conditional 7th round pick for Chase Claypool. The condition is that Claypool as to play 40% the Lions snaps through the end of the season. That's essentially nothing if it works out and 100% nothing if it doesn't. \
40% of snaps by the way would be not be a lot. That's in the DJ Chark realm from last season. He played 46% of the Lions offensive snaps in 2022. If you can't make it 40%, than not only so the Lions know, but the rest of the NFL also knows that Claypool has XFL written all over him.
The reason you make this deal is becasue we've seen what Claypool can do when he's on and ready to play. He's a 6-foot-4-inch big bodied receiver that can fly through the air. People were throwing Calvin Johnson comparisons his way early in his career. They were dumb people, but the comparisons were happening. In theory, the play style is similar. Claypool doesn't have the tools that Johnson had. Basically nobody has. That's why he's in the Hall of Fame.
Even though Jameson Williams is back, the Lions could still use a guy in the red zone that could highpoint the ball. If you can get him for basically free, why not take the shot? It's up to Chase if it all works out. I don't think he's done yet. I think he's on a very bad team with a coaching staff that's about to get fired any day now. I think there's reason to believe that there's some sort of cause and effect there.