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Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool is ready for a football comeback. Out of the league last season and quiet for months, Claypool took to Instagram to share a life and football update. In a lengthy and candid post, Claypool revealed he’s spent the past year rehabbing from a torn ligament and tendon in his toe. Now, he’s declared himself 100-percent healthy.
“I tore a ligament and a tendon in my second toe and have been rehabbing, working out, and recovering every day for the past year,” Claypool wrote, in part, on Instagram. “I am back to being the strongest and fastest I’ve ever been and couldn’t be more excited to step back out on the field and let my actions speak for themselves.
“I deeply and truly believe that the pieces will align, and I will work my way into the position to show off what’s been suppressed these last two years.”
Claypool summed up his time with the Buffalo Bills and shared a video of one catch he made in practice last year. Signed in May, he reportedly turned heads during spring workouts before his toe injury landed him on injured reserve in August. Days later, he was released with an injury settlement.
In his post, Claypool thanked the Bills’ organization for giving him the opportunity to play. He also credited QB Josh Allen for “taking me in” and wide receivers coach Adam Henry for encouraging him even after his injury.
A second-round pick of the Steelers in 2020, Claypool enjoyed a great rookie year. One that included a four touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. But his career turned sour from there. He showed immaturity on and off the field, infamously signaling first down in the middle of a final drive in which Pittsburgh was trailing and eventually lost. He once suggested adding music to practices was key to turning the Steelers’ season around.
Ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, Pittsburgh traded Claypool to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick. Claypool had minimal impact with the Bears, catching 18 passes across ten games. Chicago gave up and flipped him to the Miami Dolphins to finish the 2023 season.
Chase Claypool’s Instagram post received comments from then-Steelers teammate WR JuJu Smith-Schuster who wrote, “Keep going bro. Blessed !” Current Steelers’ wide receiver Calvin Austin III, who played with Claypool in 2022 (and once recovered from a season-ending injury himself) also provided words of encouragement.
Claypool remains a free agent. Turning 27 on July 7, it’s plausible an NFL team gives him a chance in training camp. Talent has never been Claypool’s issue and if he’s as mature as he sounded in his Instagram post, he could stick on a roster. If not the NFL, the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders hold exclusive rights to him.
