Packers send shockwaves around WR market with surprising decision involving veteran they previously tried to acquire
Chase Claypool is the only true veteran in the Packers’ rookie minicamp, and he’s there on a tryout basis. Green Bay tried to trade for him in 2022.
Brian Gutekunst hasn’t forgotten how much he likes wide receiver Chase Claypool. Four years after the Green Bay Packers offered a second-round pick to acquire him from the Pittsburgh Steelers but were snubbed, the veteran receiver will be a part of the Packers’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
That doesn’t mean the Packers will add him to the 90-man roster, but there’s a chance the signing eventually happens. Claypool is the only player in the rookie minicamp with more than one year of NFL experience.
Chase Claypool’s career numbers
Claypool hasn’t played a regular season game since 2023.
- 175 receptions
- 2,261 receiving yards
- 13 receiving touchdowns
- 171 rushing yards
- 2 rushing touchdowns
- 12.9 yards per receptions
Past production and interest
The Packers loved Claypool coming out of Notre Dame, but he was drafted by the Steelers with the 49th overall pick in 2020 — Green Bay only had the 62nd pick in the second round, with which they selected running back AJ Dillon.
Ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, the Packers offered a second-rounder for Claypool, but the Steelers took a similar offer from the Chicago Bears, correctly projecting that the Bears’ pick would be higher. That ended up being a blessing in disguise for Green Bay.
Claypool’s best season was his rookie one, with 62 catches for 873 yards and nine touchdowns. The receiver had another 800-yard receiving season in 2021, but things have gone sideways since. After his failed stint with Chicago, Claypool has had quiet tenures with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, but he hasn’t played a regular season game since 2023.
In 2024, he was released from Buffalo with an injury settlement after tearing a ligament and a tendon in a toe, but now he’s fully healthy again.
Packers-y player
It’s easy to see why the Packers’ front office likes Chase Claypool so much. Coming out of college, he had a 9.98 Relative Athletic Score, with elite size, explosiveness, and speed. A 6-4, 238-pound receiver, Claypool is highly athletic and physically impressive.
Throughout his NFL career, Claypool has had 1.53 yards per route run and an 81.0 passer rating when targeted, with a 12.4 average depth of target.
This offseason, the Packers have already added a former second-round receiver in free agency — Skyy Moore, who’s played for the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, but was mostly signed to play on special teams as a returner.