{"id":239082,"date":"2025-07-08T14:30:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=239082"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:25:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T01:25:04","slug":"report-veteran-free-agent-chase-claypool-eyeing-nfl-comeback-5-possible-fits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/08\/report-veteran-free-agent-chase-claypool-eyeing-nfl-comeback-5-possible-fits\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Veteran Free Agent Eyeing NFL Comeback &#8211; 5 Possible Fits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After rehabbing for the entire 2024 campaign, free agent wide receiver Chase Claypool is eyeing an NFL comeback this upcoming season. <a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/25223254-chase-claypool-details-toe-injury-rehab-video-eyes-nfl-comeback-amid-free-agency\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">According to Bleacher Report<\/a>, the once-star in the making is looking to join a team before the regular season, and it&#8217;s hard to imagine there will be a lot of suitors for him. Originally selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the former Notre Dame Product became one of the most promising contributors as a pass-catcher after having a successful rookie year of catching 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Claypool couldn&#8217;t replicate the same energy in his sophomore campaign since he missed two games due to injuries and was pulled from a game for poking.<\/p>\n<p>It went downhill in his career after that season. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobears.com\/news\/chase-claypool-trade-steelers-second-round-pick-bears-roster-move\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wide receiver was sent to the Chicago Bears in a trade<\/a> but didn&#8217;t put in any effort to be a reliable receiver, while receiving criticism. After that one-year stint, the wide receiver was a journeyman between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. As Training Camp is around the corner, there could be teams that might take a chance on him as a depth fill. Claypool won&#8217;t be a starter anytime soon, but it&#8217;ll be interesting if these five teams were to sign him to a minimum one-year deal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_238916\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-238916\" style=\"width: 801px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-238916\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Chase Claypool Injury\" width=\"801\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/07\/Chase-Claypool-Injury-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-238916\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bills wide receiver Chase Claypool signs autographs for fans at the end of day three.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Report: Veteran Free Agent Chase Claypool Eyeing NFL Comeback &#8211; 5 Possible Fits<\/h2>\n<h3>Potential Destinations<\/h3>\n<h4>Dallas Cowboys<\/h4>\n<p>Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/45037522\/2025-nfl-trade-grades-george-pickens-cowboys-steelers-receiver\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">trading for wide receiver George Pickens<\/a>, the Dallas Cowboys could use some more depth to build more weapons for quarterback Dak Prescott. The Cowboys must maximize their franchise star, as he&#8217;s only been utilizing <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/30\/cowboys-offense-without-ceedee-lamb\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">CeeDee Lamb<\/a> and tight end Jake Ferguson. Claypool won&#8217;t start ahead of Jalen Tolbert or probably Jonathan Mingo at this stage, but he could be a reliable target on a situational basis. He doesn&#8217;t need to make an impact immediately, but since the Cowboys love giving athletes a second opportunity, it might be something Jerry Jones could consider.<\/p>\n<h4>Kansas City Chiefs<\/h4>\n<p>Meanwhile, the same case can apply to the Kansas City Chiefs. They have three capable playmakers in Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/03\/22\/2024-fantasy-football-marquise-brown-dynasty-outlook\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Marquise Brown<\/a> to be the main contributors for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. If Claypool joins the Chiefs, even on the practice squad, he could have a chance to change his career around with an already strong roster full of talent.<\/p>\n<h4>Los Angeles Chargers<\/h4>\n<p>However, the Los Angeles Chargers are in dire need of another pass-catcher. 2024 draft pick Ladd McConkey is by far the only impressive one that&#8217;s been on a run this past year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafbnetwork.com\/nfl\/la-chargers\/la-chargers-news\/los-angeles-chargers-quentin-johnston-critical-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Quentin Johnston had two disastrous seasons<\/a>, while <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/07\/jets-get-great-news-in-the-latest-mike-williams-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">veteran Mike Williams<\/a> is washed up. Tre Harris is unproven, and someone like Claypool can join the list of receivers in the backend of the depth chart to help quarterback Justin Herbert.<\/p>\n<h4>New Orleans Saints<\/h4>\n<p>The New Orleans Saints need all of the difference makers to maximize either Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler. Between <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/15\/chris-olaves-time-to-shine-a-look-at-his-upcoming-breakout-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Chris Olave<\/a> and Rashid Shaheed, the team still needs a WR4 behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/44345243\/source-wr-brandin-cooks-saints-reunite-2-year-13m-deal\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">veteran Brandin Cooks after signing him this offseason.<\/a> Claypool might be able to change things around since it was evident that Marquez Valdes-Scantling did this during his one-year stint in New Orleans in 2024.<\/p>\n<h4>Baltimore Ravens<\/h4>\n<p>The Baltimore Ravens must start building for the longevity of this offense for quarterback Lamar Jackson. Claypool won&#8217;t take Rashod Bateman or <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/02\/zay-flowers-ravens-wide-receiver-dynasty-outlook\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Zay Flowers<\/a>&#8216; job, but he could be a reliable veteran to join as backup for the slot routes. Once DeAndre Hopkins plays out probably one more season, the Ravens could use Claypool for a year&#8217;s worth to see what he has in the tank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After spending one season away due to multiple injuries, one free agent wants to sign with a team before NFL training camp starts. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4795,"featured_media":239083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,10,23,19,16,18,4,28,9],"tags":[7723,7642,6192,7403,7811,7422,9146,7466,7429,4749,7777,1670,7752,7366,7638,7659,9722],"class_list":["post-239082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-ravens","category-bears","category-cowboys","category-chiefs","category-chargers","category-dolphins","category-saints","category-steelers","tag-baltimore-ravens-news","tag-chargers-featured","tag-chase-claypool","tag-chicago-bears-news","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-george-pickens","tag-kansas-city-chiefs-news","tag-los-angeles-chargers-news","tag-marquise-brown","tag-miami-dolphins-news","tag-mike-williams","tag-new-orleans-saints-news","tag-pittsburgh-steelers-news","tag-ravens-featured","tag-saints-featured","tag-zay-flowers"],"modified_by":"Anthony Palacios","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239082"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":239093,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239082\/revisions\/239093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}