The Buffalo Bills were more sellers than buyers this offseason. The team traded Stefon Diggs and let longtime stalwarts like Gabe Davis, Mitch Morse, Jordan Poyer, and Tre’davious White walk in free agency. On the flip side, the franchise was quite conservative in the contracts it gave out. However, there is one move that does come with quite a bit of risk, and it has nothing to do with money. The Bills' riskiest move of the offseason was signing wide receiver Chase Claypool.
The Bills were extremely conservative in free agency this offseason
General manager Brandon Beane and company are learning a hard lesson of the modern NFL that many organizations have gone through before. While having a superstar quarterback is a necessity to win in the league now, paying that player means tough decisions elsewhere on the Bills roster.
As Allen’s cap hit balloons from $18 million to $30 million in 2024, it means the Bills can no longer afford to pay double-digit millions for experienced vets in their 30s.
So, out are the names Bills Mafia have come to know well, and in are younger, less accomplished players on short-term deals.
WR Curtis Samuel is the only deal with an outside free agent the team gave out that it can’t get out of after the 2024 season. The former Washington Commanders pass-catcher is locked in for two seasons at around $8 million per.
Buffalo also brought in players like backup QB Mitchell Trubisky from the Pittsburgh Steelers, DE Dawuane Smoot from the Jacksonville Jaguars, OT La’El Collins from the Dallas Cowboys, DT Austin Johnson and center Will Clapp from the Los Angeles Chargers, and S Mike Edwards and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling from the Kansas City Chiefs.
All of these players are incredibly low-risk coming in on one-year contracts.
Former Steelers, Chicago Bears, and Miami Dolphins wideout Chase Claypool is also on a one-year deal, but he brings more risk factors than just the money allocated.
Why Buffalo signing Chase Claypool is a risk
Chase Claypool burst on the NFL scene as a rookie after the Steelers drafted him in the second round of the notoriously volatile 2020 NFL Draft. The first-year sensation caught 62 balls for 872 yards and a staggering nine touchdowns from Ben Roethlisberger, which were all numbers he would never touch again.
He did get close in his sophom*ore campaign, making 59 grabs for 860 yards, but his TDs dropped to just two.
The next season, Claypool only made it through right games in the Steel City before Pittsburgh dealt him to Chicago for a 2023 second-round pick. While the exact reasons were publicly unclear, insiders painted a picture of Claypool being the prototypical diva wide receiver.
In a 2023 podcast appearance, Steelers ESPN reporter Brook Pryor said the Claypool trade was “addition by subtraction,” which was a big reason why the team was 2-6 pre-trade and 7-2 after. She also said there was a lot of “internal discord” on that Steelers team that stemmed from “frustration with Claypool.”
Moving to the Windy City didn’t make things better for Claypool.
The wideout openly clashed with the coaching staff, blaming them for not putting him in a position to succeed, and that was coupled with a blatant lack of effort at times on the field that even the most casual NFL observer could clearly see.
During his 10 total games with the Bears over two seasons, Claypool caught 18 balls for 191 yards and one touchdown. The team eventually traded him to the Dolphins for a 2025 seventh-round selection.
By all accounts, Claypool wasn’t the diva he was in his last two stops in Miami, but he only managed four catches for 26 yards in nine games.
Now Chase Claypool heads to the Bills for a one-year, $1.1 million deal that will only cost Buffalo $25,000 if they cut him. That’s a great deal in a vacuum for a former second-round pick who has had two 800-plus-yard seasons and only turns 26 in July.
That said, there is more risk involved than just the dollars and cents.
The 2024 Bills revolve around Josh Allen. The team will only go as far as the Northern Californian’s right arm and legs will take them. If he plays like an MVP, the franchise has a real shot at their first-ever Super Bowl title. If he has a down year, they might not even make the playoffs. That’s why a potential locker room distraction like Claypool could present an issue.
If Claypool isn’t that good, there shouldn’t be any problems. Where the trouble could occur is if he is good out of the gates and he reverts to his diva behavior. Brandon Beane got rid of Diggs for (at least partially) that reason, and bringing in another WR who clashes with Allen would be brutal.
Maybe the Bills are getting a more mature Chase Claypool who has learned lessons during his tumultuous tenure in the league. That’s something the front office and coaching staff need to keep an incredibly close eye on, though, because if it goes South, Claypool could tank the team’s season.
