Steelers Now
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers failed to convince a free agent wide receiver to join the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ search for another wide receiver is still ongoing and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is even joining in on the process.
According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, Rodgers tried to recruit Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Steelers before the free agent wide receiver ultimately decided to join the San Francisco 49ers.
“He wanted me back over there,” Valdes-Scantling said via Barrows.
Valdes-Scantling was released by the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday as part of that team’s cut down to 53 players and he was choosing between the Steelers and 49ers, according to a report by Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV.
Pittsburgh made a lot of sense for Valdes-Scantling, even outside of the team’s need for another outside wide receiver option other than DK Metcalf. Valdes-Scantling was former teammates with Rodgers on the Packers and the best seasons of his career came when playing with him in Green Bay.
In 2020, Valdes-Scantling set career highs in receiving yards (690) and touchdowns (six) while making 12 starts.
However, Valdes-Scantling was looking for something else, despite his relationship with Rodgers being very intriguing.
“There’s a lot of carryover with the system, being able to come in right away and not have to learn a whole new system,” he said.
Valdes-Scantling started the 2024 season with the Buffalo Bills but was released following the Bills’ acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
He then signed with the New Orleans Saints a week later and remained on the their roster for the rest of the year.
Valdes-Scantling then signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Seahawks this March that had $1.5 million guaranteed, which Seattle will still be paying him this season.
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound receiver ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash coming out of South Florida in 2018, and he has remained a dangerous deep threat. His 17.4 yards per catch over the course of his career makes him the active NFL leader in that category.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Aaron Rodgers Tried to Recruit Free Agent WR to Steelers
