Chase Claypool's trade details: how much will his contract be at the Bears?

The Chicago Bears secured wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final hours before the NFL trade deadline. The wide receiver was close to joining the Green Bay Packers, however, the Steelers preferred the Bears' offer.

In exchange for Claypool, Chicago sent the Steelers a 2023 NFL Draft second-round pick. Claypool is coming to Chicago on a two-year, $2.18 million non-guaranteed contract, according to Spotrac. The estimated cap hit for Claypool in 2022 is $673,061.

He is set to become a free agent in 2024 and Claypool is expected to have a $1.51 million cap hit in 2023. The Bears' salary cap space is expected to be $120 million in 2023. This gives general manager Ryan Poles more than enough funds to operate with as he restructures the franchise. Poles has already addressed one of the major requirements with the arrival of Claypool.

Why did the Steelers trade Chase Claypool?

The Steelers have a history of finding stars in the draft and haven't typically paid wide receivers a lot of money. One of their most recent cases was Chase Claypool. Pittsburgh's confidence in replacing Claypool comes from the success of rookie George Pickens and his continued development.

This looks like a great piece of business by Pittsburgh. The Steelers have recovered a second-round pick for a player who wasn't having any significant influence on their team. Rather than playing Claypool in the 2023 campaign on the final year of his rookie deal, they made the trade. Now they can look to the draft knowing they have more capital to rebuild.

Before the Bears rushed in and closed the deal, the Green Bay Packers seemed prepared to move for Claypool. The Packers reportedly also offered the Steelers a second-round pick, however, the Steelers think Chicago will finish with a worse record this season. That's why they sent Claypool to the Bears instead of the Packers.

Chase Claypool joins a Chicago offense that has been lacking in the passing game. Although they lean heavily on their running game, they can definitely use a player of Claypool's physicality. It will be interesting to see if he can take this opportunity and revive his NFL career.