After a year removed from football, Chase Claypool says he's healthy and ready to resume his career in 2025. The former Pittsburgh Steelers' second-round pick recently said he is "back to being the strongest and fastest I've ever been" after a toe injury wiped out his entire 2024 season. 

Claypool, who turns 27 on July 7, recently said via Instagram he has been "rehabbing, working out, and recovering every day for the past year" after he missed all of last season after he tore a ligament and a tendon in his second toe during training camp. 

"I deeply and truly believe that the pieces will align," Claypool wrote, "and I will work my way into the position to show off what's been suppressed these last two years."

Claypool also expressed his gratitude for the Buffalo Bills, who signed him to a one-year deal last offseason. He is now a free agent for the second time in two years. 

"Signing with Buffalo was the best thing that could've ever happened to me," Claypool wrote. "I was the strongest, fastest, and most prepared I had ever been. I was playing my best football -- working my way up from LAST (14th) string to taking first-team reps by camp. Most of all, I was doing it with a group of guys I truly appreciated."

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Claypool was the 49th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Claypool's 11 total touchdowns tied a Steelers franchise rookie record he shares with Steelers Hall of Honor member Louis Lipps and Pro Football Hall of Famer Franco Harris. Claypool's success that year helped Pittsburgh capture its most recent AFC North division title. 

While solid, Claypool's 2021 season was a disappointment given what he had accomplished as a rookie. That downward trend continued in 2022 to the point that the Steelers dealt him to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick just before the trade deadline. 

After failing to produce in Chicago, Claypool was traded to the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 season. He was not re-signed by Miami after catching just four passes during his nine games with the team. 

Despite those setbacks, Claypool clearly believes he can be a valuable asset for a team that could use a playmaking receiver. 

"I am back to being the strongest and fastest I've ever been," he wrote, "and couldn't be more excited to step back out on the field and let my actions speak for themselves."