Right now, the San Francisco 49ers need help at the wide receiver position. Several of their players at that position, including Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, are currently out of action due to injury, and none of their wideouts, save for possibly Aiyuk at his best, could be considered major threats.
There isn’t a major threat available either in free agency or the trade market right now for the 49ers. But they did sign Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who can chip in here and there and did just that for the Kansas City Chiefs when they won back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to his time with the Chiefs, Valdes-Scantling spent his first four seasons with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. He told the media that he ended up deciding between joining the 49ers and reuniting with Rodgers on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It was between here and Pittsburgh,” Valdes-Scantling explained on Thursday. “Obviously, I have a great relationship with Aaron Rodgers over there, and he wanted me back over there. So, it was a toss-up, 50/50, and I had to weigh my options and see which one I wanted to do, which was going to be better for my career at this point, and I was excited about it.”
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The wideout said he chose the Niners because he’s familiar with their offensive system after playing for Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. LaFleur had previously been an assistant under Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons.
“I played in the system before and had success in the system before, so it’s a no-brainer to be able to come into a place where you can help out in all facets, whether it be on the field or off the field,” Valdes-Scantling said.
Valdes-Scantling spent last season with the Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints, and he caught 19 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns.
He is a fairly legitimate speed threat (he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds at the NFL scouting combine prior to the 2019 draft), which is something the Niners haven’t really had during the Shanahan era. He won’t eclipse 1,000 yards, but he could help stretch the field and create a little more freedom for his teammates to find openings underneath opposing secondaries.
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He had signed with the Seattle Seahawks in March, but they waived him on Tuesday, paving the way for him to head south to San Francisco.
It just so happens that San Francisco will visit the Seahawks in Week 1 of this season. Perhaps Valdes-Scantling can supply his new team with insider information on the Seahawks’ defensive packages to help it prepare for that contest.
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