After passing on the chance to join them this summer, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is now planning to sign with the Steelers while reuniting with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, according to NFL Media.
The 31-year-old receiver worked out for the Steelers on Monday. He was recently released by the 49ers a day after they had placed him on injured reserve with a calf injury.
Valdes-Scantling chose to sign with the 49ers’ practice squad this summer instead of joining the Steelers because he thought San Francisco presented him with a better opportunity given the 49ers’ injuries at his position. And while he did play in five games, he caught just four passes for 40 yards during his brief time there.
An eight-year veteran, Valdes-Scantling spent his first four NFL seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay. During their third season together, Valdes-Scantling led the league in average yards per catch while helping Rodgers win his third league MVP award.
After four years in Green Bay, Valdes-Scantling won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs while developing a quick chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. His value was especially evident in the playoffs, as Valdes-Scantling caught three touchdown passes during the 2022 and 2023 postseasons. He caught a touchdown pass during Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII win over the 49ers.
Valdes-Scantling’s first taste of postseason success occurred years earlier in Green Bay. In the 2020 NFC title game, he caught 4 of 6 targets for 115 yards and a score in the Packers’ 31-26 loss to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Valdes-Scantling will join the Steelers after spending parts of the past two seasons with the 49ers, Bills and Saints. In Pittsburgh, he’ll join an offense that has long been searching for depth at the receiver position.
The Steelers’ receiving group has been led by DK Metcalf and fellow wideout Calvin Austin III. Pittsburgh’s passing game so far has also included a steady diet of running backs Kenneth Gainwell, Jaylen Warren and tight ends Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.
Along with getting a chance to play for a first-place team, it’s safe to say Rodgers is a considerable reason why Valdes-Scantling is coming to Pittsburgh.
“He is a competitor,” Valdes-Scantling told CBS Sports in 2023 when asked about Rodgers. “Especially if he gets into a situation where he can prove someone wrong. He will live and die by it.”
Valdes-Scantling will became the latest former teammate of Rodgers from his Packer days to reunite with him. He played with fellow Packers teammates Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams during his brief tenure with the New York Jets.
Speaking of the Packers, the Steelers have begun the process of shaking off this past Sunday night’s 35-25 loss to Rodgers’ former team. While the defense was largely to blame for the loss, Rodgers acknowledged afterward that the offense could have been better on third down. The Steelers were a dreadful 1 of 10 on third down, which contributed to the team settling for three Chris Boswell field goals during the first half of Sunday night’s eventual loss.
“Well, just an honest assessment,” Rodgers said afterward when asked how the Steelers can snap out of their two-game losing streak. “I think, setting feelings aside and being OK with criticism, any position, any player, and being honest about what we need to do to improve. And then, we can’t beat ourselves.
“I think in the three losses, there’s been times where we’ve had opportunities and we’ve hurt ourselves with either turnovers or just negative plays. So we’ve got to cut those out. We’ve gotta get on the same page on both offense and defense, and keep the faith.”
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