What the Chicago Bears’ trade for Chase Claypool says about Poles’ plan

With the NFL trade deadline passing Tuesday afternoon, all eyes were on Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears to see if another move would be made.

Already, the Bears have made two enormous trades, shipping off both Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.

In those deals, the Bears acquired extra second, fourth and fifth-round picks — one of each.

Tuesday, Poles and the Bears weren’t done, though. One of their most impactful moves came when it was announced that Chicago was dealing for former Notre Dame standout and second-round pick, wide receiver Chase Claypool.

General manager Ryan Poles is finally giving fans a visible reason to believe he has a plan for the Chicago Bears.

For those fans who have questioned Poles’ methods over his first year in Chicago, this is a welcomed move. There are fans who have remained steadfast in the idea that Poles is in play for 2023 and beyond, which is correct. However, this move is one that solidifies a lot of things.

First of all, Claypool has one more year on his rookie contract. He’s coming from the Pittsburgh Steelers who, historically, can draft wide receivers with the best of them. However, they don’t always hang onto them long-term.

With Claypool never being a true number one wide receiver, this gives the Bears a huge advantage, contractually speaking.

The Bears have plenty of cap space next year (around $100 million) and, with that, will likely extend Claypool if Poles is smart. Trading a second-round pick for any player would require that, first, the receiving team is in on that player for the long haul.

If that’s true, then Poles should absolutely look to extend Claypool before the 2023 season — or, before Claypool’s price goes way up.

In the end, that’s the likely scenario.

Secondly, this trade also shows us that Poles is, in fact, dedicated to Justin Fields.

You do not trade a second rounder for a wide receiver if you do not believe you have the quarterback in place. After all, this league is all quarterback-driven. A team has to have their franchise quarterback in place in order to make moves that affect the future of the franchise.

That is exactly what Poles is telling us with this deal. He believes in Justin Fields.

So, all of the nonsensical takes you have read that are nothing but speculative narratives are dead wrong. Poles is in for the long haul with Fields, and everyone doubting that a few months ago should now be eating crow after the past couple of weeks.

This Claypool trade is great for Fields, for the Bears, and for the future of this franchise.