First Call: Chase Claypool ‘didn’t have the full opportunity to show what I could do this year’; Ron Rivera on William Jackson III
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Thursday’s “First Call” has Chase Claypool’s reaction to being traded away from the Pittsburgh Steelers. We also hear from Aaron Rodgers on the Packers losing out on Claypool.
Plus, Ron Rivera discusses what happened to William Jackson in Washington. And Paul Posluszny wonders about what could have been if NIL money was around when he was playing in Happy Valley.
Trying to say the right things
On one hand, it appears ex-Steelers receiver Chase Claypool is attempting to be diplomatic on his way out of Pittsburgh.
While speaking with the Chicago media for the first time since being traded there for a second-round pick on Tuesday, Claypool said he doesn’t have any “bad blood” toward the Steelers.
“It was hard to take offense to it because I know it’s just the nature of the business,” Claypool said. “It’s not like I was like, ‘Oh, I want to get out, I want to get out,’ or, ‘I hope I do.’ I was just letting the cards play how they were played.”
That said, Claypool couldn’t help but point out that he thinks he could have been featured more in Pittsburgh in 2022. Something he hopes happens with the Bears and quarterback Justin Fields.
“I feel like I didn’t have the full opportunity to show what I can do this year,” Claypool said via ProFootballTalk.com. “But, I think I’ve been able to show that in the past. And I’m excited to be able to gain that trust with Justin (Fields) to where he knows if he needs a play, he can come to me.”
The stats don’t necessarily back up Claypool’s claim. He has 50 targets and played more than 86% of the offensive snaps this year. Diontae Johnson is the only receiver in front of him in both categories. Claypool said being moved into the slot this year may have been part of the problem.
“I tried a new position this year in the slot,” Claypool said. “I was outside for my first two years, and it wasn’t quite the best fit but it wasn’t the worst either. So, I think maybe it actually helped me in terms of being able to play all three positions on the field now.”
Claypool’s 26 receptions and 50 targets would lead the Bears. His 311 yards would rank second behind Darnell Mooney’s 364.
It’s on us
Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera isn’t mincing words about what went wrong with William Jackson III before the cornerback was traded to the Steelers on Friday.
The Commanders signed Jackson to a $40.5 million contract prior to last season, and it was a bust of a deal. Despite some nagging injuries and poor play in Washington, Rivera insists the failure of the contract is on the team and wouldn’t foist responsibilities on Jackson’s shoulders.
“We looked at what we tried to do with William, and it didn’t work,” Rivera said via NBC Sports Washington. “Quite honestly, we didn’t find the fit we were hoping to find. We were looking for a guy that had a specific skill set, that could understand the match coverages and play the match coverages the way we do with everybody else, and he struggled with it because he really is a man-coverage type-guy. So, along the lines of our evaluation process, we were wrong.”
Talked to Ron Rivera about trading William Jackson III: “He really is a man corner…Our evaluation was wrong.” Full intvw coming up on @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/ilcCrDb0N3
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 1, 2022
In 12 games last year, Jackson had two interceptions for the Commanders. He has none this year.
“Sometimes you get it right; sometimes you get it wrong. And when you get it wrong, when you recognize it, realize it, it’s time to move on,” Rivera said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here. We’re trying not to just move on for our sake but also to give William an opportunity to go to another team that knows that they’re going to give this guy a shot to use his skill set and exactly what they do, specifically.”
Jackson wouldn’t commit to playing on Nov. 13 against the New Orleans Saints at Acrisure Stadium. But Jackson said he “wants to get in and get comfortable.” His contract runs for another year, at a $9.25 million base salary.
More sports
• Penguins surrender late lead again as losing streak reaches 6
• New cornerback William Jackson III looking for change of scenery with Steelers
• Mike Tomlin not making changes to Steelers coaching staff during bye week
What could have been
Former Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny recently did an interview with Canadian Sportsbook.com. The topic of college NIL (name, image, likeness) financial deals came up. And the Hopewell product opined about what revenue streams would’ve been like for him at State College if those rules were in place for college athletes at the time he was a Nittany Lion.
“It was after a game, I was walking home with my family or walking back to our dorms with my family. A gentleman comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, you know, Paul, great game, congratulations,’” Posluszny recalled. “And he almost said it in a not condescending way, but said in a laughing manner said, ‘By the way, I make T-shirts, these great T-shirts with a blue 31 on it. … But he said, ‘You do not want to know how much money I’ve made off of you.’ And I said, ‘What? What do you mean?’ He then told me about his T-shirt business. So when you think of that it’s an interesting problem to have.”
The former All-American was asked how much he thinks he could’ve made.
“With the dollars being thrown around, your guess is as good as mine. I’ve kind of lost track of who gets what now in that environment. It’s gonna completely change the dynamic of what it means to be a student athlete at the college level,” Posluszny said.
Meanwhile, despite some criticism of James Franklin in the wake of losses to Michigan and Ohio State, Posluszny is throwing his weight behind Penn State’s head coach.
“They’re competitive every week, they’re playing well, they’re playing smart,” Posluszny said. “I think Coach Franklin has done an unbelievable job with Penn State football. As a former Penn Stater and a guy that bleeds blue and white, it’s great to see because you can tell he has so much love for Penn State football, for the university, everything that football means and for the state of Pennsylvania. So it’s exciting to see.”
So much for that
If Claypool didn’t end up with the Bears, multiple reports are that he could’ve been a Green Bay Packer.
Like Chicago, the Packers are in desperate need of receiver help. But the Steelers reportedly accepted the Bears offer of a second-rounder before Green Bay’s because they felt that Chicago’s would be higher.
“My hopes are always up in life,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said via ProFootballTalk.com. “I’m an optimist. And obviously the compensation for whatever players we were going after just didn’t make sense. So I trust (G.M.) Brian (Gutekunst). We had some good conversations. I know that we were in on some things, and it obviously just didn’t pan out.”
Right now, both Green Bay and Chicago are 3-5.