Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of two teams in the running to sign former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, according to a report by Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV.
The Steelers and San Francisco 49ers are the two teams that Valdes-Scantling is considering signing with, according to Wilson.
The Seattle Seahawks released Valdes-Scantling on Tuesday as part of that team’s cut down to 53 players. As a vested veteran, Valdes-Scantling immediately became a free agent and is free to sign with any team.
The 30-year-old former teammate of Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been on three different teams within the last year.
Valdes-Scantling started the 2024 season with the Buffalo Bills, but on Oct. 15, following the Bills’ acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, he was released.
He signed with the New Orleans Saints a week later and remained on the their roster for the rest of the year.
He 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 best seasons of Valdes-Scantling’s career came when he played with Rodgers in Green Bay. In 2020, he set career highs in receiving yards (690) and touchdowns (6) while making 12 starts.
After four seasons with the Packers, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, winning a pair of Super Bowl rings as a regular starter.
Throughout his career, Valdes-Scantling has primarily played outside receiver, where the Steelers have an acute need behind DK Metcalf. He’s played 66.2% of his career snaps outside, according to PFF, and 78.4% of his snaps in 2024 came there.
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound receiver ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash coming out of South Florida in 2018, and has remained a dangerous deep threat, if not a high-volume target. His 17.4 yards per catch over the course of his career makes him the active NFL leader in that category.
The Steelers will need to clear a spot on their 53-man roster in order to sign Valdes-Scantling. Five wide receivers are on the team’s initial 53-man roster, including Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers One of Two Finalists to Sign Ex-Packers WR
