NFL Rumors: Signs point toward Chargers as Chase Claypool destination
The Chicago Bears are seeking a fifth or sixth-round pick in trade talks centered on WR Chase Claypool, who was a healthy scratch for the team's Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos. Claypool was acquired for a second-round pick midway through the 2022 season, but he has struggled mightily to carve out a consistent role in the Bears offense. His frustration boiled over when he criticized the coaching staff a week ago.
Claypool's value has never been lower and there's no reason teams will drive up the price in a bidding war for the Notre Dame product. Still, he's a former second-round pick with impressive physical tools at 6-foot-4. He's also young, only 25 years old, so there's time for him to grow as a person and as a player.
One team that could emerge from the shadows is the Los Angeles Chargers. Some might say the stars align.
With Mike Williams out for the season with a torn ACL, it would make sense for the Chargers to seek out reinforcements in the WR room. Claypool does fit the profile of Los Angeles' offense as a tall big-play threat who Justin Herbert can target on his signature down-field bombs.
The Chargers have a track record of getting the most out of role-player receivers in Claypool's mold. He's no longer in a position to demand a significant target share, but Claypool sprinting up the sidelines while defenses key in on Keenan Allen does have some hypothetical appeal.
NFL Rumors: Jonathan Taylor doesn't speak on future with Colts
Jonathan Taylor is officially off the PUP list and practicing with the Indianapolis Colts, mere months removed from officially requesting a trade. The Colts perused the market before the season but never seriously engaged interested parties. Now some of those prior suitors, such as the Miami Dolphins, are less blatantly in need of help at the RB position.
With questions about his future abound, the 24-year-old who led the NFL in total yards (2,171) and touchdowns (20) in 2021 is expected to return to the field in Indianapolis. Whether he's back for Week 5 or not is up in the air, but Taylor is on the practice field and speaking with reporters.
Naturally, his first media session in ages included questions about the trade request and his future with the team. Taylor refused to commit to a stance and he was purposefully vague about his desires.
"Listen, like I said, I'm here right now, and my No. 1 thing is to take care of my teammates. A lot of people worry about what I want... It doesn't matter necessarily what I want. What matters is what this team needs, what this team wants, what this city wants and what this city needs. What the city needs is a championship. While I'm here that's what I'm going to work my tail off to do. That's what I worked my tail off to get the opportunity to do."
It would appear that the stalemate is over for now. The Colts have expressed a desire to keep Taylor around and he's certainly not pushing his trade request any further with these comments, even if "it doesn't matter what I want" sends a rather unambiguous message about his true feelings.
The Colts are 2-2 on the season, tied with every other team in the AFC South. Taylor will split touches with up-and-coming Zack Moss, as well as scrambling rookie QB Anthony Richardson, but he's still one of the best RBs in football when healthy. Expect the Colts to lean heavily on Taylor for a long as he wears a horseshoe on his helmet.
NFL Rumors: Joel Klatt predicts Jim Harbaugh buzz will never stop
College football exper Joel Klatt recently appeared on 'The Herd' with Colin Cowherd to discuss Jim Harbaugh and his coaching future. Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines are currently the No. 2 team in college football. He has been with the program since 2014, when he left a very successful post with the San Francisco 49ers.
Harbaugh has since been the subject of NFL coaching rumors on a yearly basis, none of which have come to fruition. Michigan is his alma mater and he left the Niners to go there, so it's clear he doesn't view the NFL as the be-all, end-all of coaching opportunities. Still, NFL teams hope and fans at UM fret.
For Klatt, the rumors are simply never going away.
"The thing is, every NFL opening, I think he's going to be in the top three names on the list. I don't think that just a simple answer will do. Number one is, he is a very competitive person, very. And he has succeeded everywhere he's been, including the NFL, obviously, look at what San Francisco was when he was there. You know, three straight NFC Championship games, a loss late in a Super Bowl."
No matter how ardently Harbaugh maintains his intent to stay at Michigan, we can never count out the possibility of the right opportunity at the right time persuading him to dip back into NFL waters. He came up just shy of a Super Bowl against his brother in 2012. As Klatt theorizes, the ultra-competitive Harbaugh could one day look to avenge his failure.
There's no reason to believe Harbaugh will leave the Wolverines any time soon. His competitive appetite is unlikely to be satisfied until he lands a college football championship trophy in Ann Arbor. If that happens, however, and a quality NFL franchise offers him a pretty penny to make another Super Bowl push... never say never.
