:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71571178/1436146725.0.jpg "Chase Claypool contract: How much do Bears owe him this year & next year, how much Steelers dead money?")
The Chicago Bears sent a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire wide receiver Chase Claypool at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday. Claypool is still on his rookie deal, which expires at the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season.
Claypool has a base salary of $1.2 million this season and $1.5 million next season. There was a $2.3 million signing bonus when Claypool initially inked the four-year, $6.6 million deal as he entered the league. The Bears are adding a dynamic weapon on the outside to complement Darnell Mooney and give Justin Fields another target, and they're doing so at a relative discount. The Steelers have no dead money in this deal and get a second-round pick for a receiver who might be viewed as a duplicate with rookie George Pickens coming on strong.
We'll see if the Bears sign Claypool to an extension to lock him on a long-term deal.