Chase Claypool is back — or at least, he's trying to be. On May 1, 2026, the 27-year-old wide receiver showed up at Green Bay Packers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, making his first appearance at an NFL facility in over two years. It's a story of a career derailed by injury, questionable decisions, and circumstance — and whether it ends in a comeback or another disappointment depends on what happened in the past few months of rehabilitation.
For Packers fans, this isn't a stranger walking through the door. Green Bay's front office was willing to give up a second-round pick for Claypool at the 2022 trade deadline. The Steelers chose Chicago instead. Now, more than three years later, the Packers are getting a look at him for free. Whether that constitutes an opportunity or a red flag depends entirely on your read of where Claypool is physically — and mentally.
From Pittsburgh Standout to NFL Journeyman: Claypool's Career Arc
When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Chase Claypool in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame, he arrived with legitimate buzz. At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, he had the size, speed, and athleticism that teams spend first-round picks on. He delivered quickly: more than 800 receiving yards in both his 2020 and 2021 seasons, paired with strong touchdown numbers and the kind of big-play ability that made him a legitimate downfield threat alongside Diontae Johnson.
Then things started to unravel — not from injury, but from a combination of factors that included a declining quarterback situation in Pittsburgh, usage disputes, and the kind of inconsistency that often plagues receivers who rely heavily on athleticism without fully developing their route-running craft. By October 2022, the Steelers were ready to move on.
The trade deadline deal that sent Claypool to the Chicago Bears was notable for what almost happened. The Green Bay Packers had offered Pittsburgh a second-round pick and a late-round selection. The Steelers took Chicago's offer instead — also a second-round pick. Green Bay missed out, and the rest of Claypool's story became a cautionary tale about potential squandered.
In Chicago, he managed 18 catches for 191 yards and a touchdown in 10 games — numbers that, in context, were barely adequate. The Bears were in organizational chaos, cycling through quarterbacks and schemes, but Claypool's contribution was underwhelming even accounting for the circumstances. By October 2023, Chicago traded him to the Miami Dolphins along with a seventh-round pick, receiving only a sixth-round pick in return. That's the kind of trade that signals a team is paying to get rid of a player, not selling him at value.
With Miami, Claypool logged just 51 offensive snaps across nine games — a footnote in a Dolphins season that had far bigger concerns. That 2023 stretch was the last time he played in an NFL regular-season game.
The Injury That Ended His Streak — And Nearly His Career
Entering 2024, Claypool had something to prove. He signed a one-year, $1.135 million contract with the Buffalo Bills in May 2024 — a lean deal, but a legitimate opportunity with a contending team. It didn't last the summer.
During Bills training camp in 2024, Claypool suffered a torn ligament and tendon in his toe. It's the kind of injury that sounds minor until you understand what it means for a receiver whose game depends on explosive cutting, sharp route breaks, and the ability to accelerate out of his stance. The Bills released him with an injury settlement, and Claypool disappeared from the NFL landscape.
What followed was a long rehabilitation process that played out largely in private, with occasional social media updates from Claypool himself. In spring 2025, he posted on Instagram detailing the injury and the road back — the surgeries, the setbacks, the slow process of retraining his foot to handle the demands of professional football. Then, in July 2025, he made a public declaration: he was back to full strength and ready to pursue an NFL return.
Whether that was true, or whether it was the optimism of a player desperate to stay relevant, is exactly what the Packers are evaluating right now.
Why Green Bay Makes More Sense Than It Might Appear
At first glance, a receiver who hasn't played in over two years showing up at a rookie minicamp feels like a Hail Mary — both his and the team's. But the Packers' situation heading into the 2026 season creates a genuine opening that wouldn't exist with a healthier receiver room.
Green Bay's receiver depth thinned considerably this offseason. Romeo Doubs, who had been a reliable contributor in the Packers' passing game, signed with the New England Patriots in free agency. Dontayvion Wicks was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. These weren't depth departures — these were legitimate rotation pieces who played meaningful snaps in Green Bay's offense.
More telling: the Packers did not select a wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft. That's a calculated decision, whether driven by draft board positioning or confidence in internal options — but it leaves the roster thinner at the position heading into the summer. When you combine those departures with the lack of draft investment, the math creates room for a veteran with upside, even one coming off a significant injury.
Jordan Love's development as a quarterback also matters here. Green Bay's offense under Love has shown the ability to generate explosive plays downfield, and Claypool's size-speed combination — if his foot has genuinely recovered — fits the profile of receiver Love can weaponize on vertical routes. The Packers aren't looking for a slot possession receiver; they're looking for someone who can stretch the field and make a defense pay for bracket coverage on their top options.
The Packers' decision to bring Claypool in for a look is low-risk by design. A tryout costs nothing. If he looks like the receiver from 2020-2021, they add a proven big-play threat at a bargain price. If he looks like the diminished version from 2022-2023, or if the foot shows any lingering limitations, they move on without having committed anything.
The 2022 Connection — And What It Means That Green Bay Still Cares
The Packers' prior interest in Claypool isn't incidental — it's actually meaningful context. Organizations don't offer second-round picks for players they view as average. In 2022, Green Bay's front office evaluated Claypool and decided he was worth a significant draft asset. That evaluation happened four years ago with a different coaching staff and different organizational priorities, so it can't be treated as a direct endorsement of his current value. But it suggests the Packers have seen something in Claypool's tape that they believe translates.
The question is whether the player on the 2026 field resembles the one from 2022 trade deadline film — or the one from Miami in 2023. Those are very different players, and the gap between them isn't just about injury. By the time Claypool reached Miami, there were genuine questions about his engagement level, his practice habits, and whether the talent was being undermined by inconsistent effort. A two-year absence doesn't automatically fix those issues, even if the foot is healthy.
That said, players have been humbled by injury and come back with renewed purpose. The desire to simply be on a roster — to have the second chance that a foot injury in a Bills training camp nearly took away permanently — can be a powerful motivator. For Claypool, this tryout is a chance to reset a narrative that had been pointing in a bad direction before the injury even hit.
What This Means: An Honest Analysis
Here's the unvarnished read: Chase Claypool is a high-ceiling, high-risk addition at essentially zero cost to the Packers. His ceiling is legitimate — a 6-foot-4 receiver who can run, who gives Jordan Love a mismatch target against smaller cornerbacks, and who gives Green Bay a vertical threat they're currently short on. His floor is a player who never recaptured his early form even before the foot injury, and who now comes with 25+ months of rust on top of a severe structural injury to his lower extremity.
The Packers are smart to look. They'd be foolish to count on him.
The outcome of this minicamp tryout should be evaluated against a simple framework: Can Claypool move freely? Does his route running show the explosiveness that made him dangerous in Pittsburgh? Is he engaged in the meeting room and on the practice field? Those are the tells that will determine whether this is a feel-good story or a final chapter.
If he earns a contract, it will be a minimum deal or close to it — no team is paying significant money for a player with this résumé coming off this injury. That's actually fine. It means Claypool has to earn every snap in training camp. Competition is often exactly what a talented but inconsistent player needs to refocus.
For the NFL landscape more broadly, Claypool's tryout is a reminder of how quickly roster spots open when teams don't invest in a position in the draft. Green Bay's decision to skip receiver in April created this opportunity. That's worth noting for fans wondering why a team would bring in a player with Claypool's recent track record: sometimes necessity creates its own logic. And in the NFL, two years away from elite competition doesn't mean two years away from being ready — it depends entirely on what caused the absence and how the recovery went.
The NFL is also full of receivers who looked finished in their mid-20s and rediscovered their careers with the right situation. It's also full of receivers who didn't. Claypool is trying to be the former. The Packers are conducting due diligence before deciding which category applies to him now.
For more on the NFL's evolving 2026 roster landscape, the Ty Simpson story with the Los Angeles Rams offers another look at how teams are managing their rosters heading into a new season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why hasn't Chase Claypool played in the NFL since 2023?
Claypool's absence stems directly from a foot injury he suffered during Buffalo Bills training camp in 2024. He tore both a ligament and a tendon in his toe — a serious structural injury that required surgery and an extended rehabilitation process. The Bills released him with an injury settlement, and he spent the next year-plus recovering. He publicly announced in July 2025 that he had returned to full strength and was seeking an NFL opportunity, which led to the Packers tryout in May 2026.
Did the Packers try to trade for Claypool before?
Yes. At the 2022 NFL trade deadline, Green Bay offered Pittsburgh a second-round pick and a late-round selection for Claypool. The Steelers instead accepted a comparable offer from the Chicago Bears. The Packers missed out on a player they clearly valued, which adds a layer of history to this tryout — they've been interested before, and now they're getting a free look.
What are the chances Claypool makes the Packers roster?
Impossible to quantify with certainty, but the conditions are genuinely favorable. Green Bay lost Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason and didn't draft a receiver in 2026, creating real depth needs. If Claypool's foot is healthy and he shows his pre-injury athleticism, there's a reasonable path to a training camp contract. The tryout itself carries no obligation — the Packers are evaluating, not committing.
What was Claypool's best season in the NFL?
Claypool's first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2020 and 2021) were his best, with 800-plus receiving yards in each. He combined legitimate size and speed with big-play ability, showing the kind of potential that justified his second-round draft status. After the trade to Chicago at the 2022 deadline, he never replicated that production, posting just 18 catches for 191 yards and a touchdown in 10 games with the Bears, and 51 offensive snaps across nine games with Miami in 2023.
What contract would Claypool likely receive if the Packers sign him?
Given his résumé — no games played since 2023, a significant foot injury, and inconsistent production before that — Claypool would almost certainly receive a veteran minimum deal or close to it. That's roughly $1.2-1.4 million for 2026 depending on his accrued seasons. It's a low financial commitment for the team, which is exactly why tryout situations like this are common: the risk is minimal, the upside is real if the player performs.
Conclusion: A Second Chance Worth Watching
Chase Claypool's appearance at Green Bay Packers rookie minicamp is the kind of NFL story that resists easy categorization. It's not a triumphant return — not yet. It's not a desperate last gasp either, given that the conditions actually make sense on both sides. It's a tryout: a controlled, low-stakes evaluation of whether a receiver with genuine ability still has what it takes after more than two years away from the game.
The Packers have legitimate need. Claypool has legitimate talent, assuming the rehabilitation held. Whether those two realities intersect cleanly will become clear as the week progresses and as training camp approaches. If he earns a contract, it will be one of the more intriguing roster stories of the 2026 preseason. If he doesn't, it'll serve as the quiet final chapter of a career that promised more than it delivered.
What's certain is this: Green Bay didn't bring Claypool in as a favor or a publicity move. NFL front offices don't run charity tryouts. They saw something worth evaluating, driven by a receiver room that needs depth and a player who — at his best — was worth a second-round pick. That's reason enough to pay attention to what happens in Wisconsin this week.
