Marquez Valdes-Scantling quickly answered the door once he saw it was opportunity knocking.
Just hours after the Chiefs traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, MVS signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Chiefs. With a few teams interested in his field-stretching services, the former Packers WR's decision to sign with Kansas City was a no-brainer.
"I think that with the departure of him, it gave me a really good opportunity to be in position to come in and be an immediate impact right away," Valdes-Scantling said Friday, via Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star. "So, I think that was a huge factor into it."
Valdes-Scantling joins a high-flying Chiefs offense that will need to adjust with the absence of its featured aerialist. While fulfilling Hill's role won't come easy nor be completely expected, the 27-year-old has shown glimpses of being a viable deep threat during his time in Green Bay.
A fifth-round selection in 2018, Valdes-Scantling has a career average of 17.5 yards per reception. His best season came in 2020 with 33 receptions for 690 yards (20.9 yards per) and six touchdowns, but a down year followed in 2021 after injuries limited him to just 11 games.
MVS believes his experience catching deep balls from Aaron Rodgers and learning the position from Davante Adams since his rookie season will provide a seamless transition into another dynamic offense in K.C.
"Just walking in this building with this opportunity, I think that I provide a spark," he said. "And obviously being in the league four years playing with Aaron (Rodgers), I know what it looks like. And playing with Davante (Adams), I learned so much from him. I think that my skill set will speak for itself come Sundays."
Valdes-Scantling enters a WR room that will look much different than years past. In addition to Hill, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson were free-agent departures this offseason. The Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and return Mecole Hardman and Josh Gordon to go along with tight end Travis Kelce.
What we have yet to see with Valdes-Scantling is him being a focalized threat in an offense. Considering the persistent success of Andy Reid's offense under quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the favorable circumstances for the Chiefs' newest deep threat made his decision all that much easier.
"Obviously, I've been a top deep threat in the league for the four years in my career," Valdes-Scantling said. "Those stats speak for themselves, but (I'm) also not limited to just that, at the end of the day. Coach (Andy) Reid does a really good job of getting his playmakers the ball. I think with having Pat (Mahomes) under center and Coach Reid calling those plays, I think I fit right in."
