Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Chiefs To Release Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Marquez Valdes-Scantling collected two Super Bowl rings as a veteran presence in what became a wildly inconsistent Chiefs receiving corps. The ex-Packer, of course, contributed to the inconsistency. And his cap charge in 2024 will lead to a separation.

The Chiefs are expected to release Valdes-Scantling, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The move will save $12MM for the two-time reigning champions. MVS was due to make $11.56MM in nonguaranteed base salary next season.

While Valdes-Scantling frequently drew scrutiny due to his drop penchant — not exactly the lone Chiefs cog to struggle on this front — he made some important contributions as a member of the team. MVS caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl LVIII and snagged a deep toss from Patrick Mahomes that held off the Ravens in the AFC championship game. In the 2022 AFC title game, the Chiefs lost their three other top receivers due to injury. Valdes-Scantling’s 116-yard performance played a pivotal role in the Chiefs fending off the Bengals.

But the NFL’s latest dynasty is in need of cap space due. Both Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed are due for free agency. The Chiefs are prepared to tag Sneed, at $19.8MM, but as of Wednesday morning, they did not hold enough cap room to even do that. With the team still in talks with Jones, the $12MM in additional funds will help. Though, the future Hall of Famer is a real threat to hit the market come March 11.

Shortly after trading Tyreek Hill in March 2022, the Chiefs reached an agreement with Valdes-Scantling to come over from the Packers. MVS signed a three-year, $30MM deal that morphed into a pay-as-you-go structure following the 2022 season. The Chiefs liked enough about what they saw to keep the former fifth-round pick in 2023, doing so as they let JuJu Smith-Schuster walk in free agency. MVS finished with 687 receiving yards in 2023 but tailed off — the AFC title game resurgence notwithstanding — down the stretch. Last season, the up-and-down pass catcher totaled only 315 yards despite playing 16 games. A crucial drop may have cost the Chiefs a November win against the Eagles.

While MVS joined Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore in submitting iffy seasons that turned wide receiver into the team’s biggest weakness, the veteran was still needed down the stretch. The Chiefs effectively determined they were a more reliable offense without Moore and Toney. Neither of the young receivers played after Week 15. Kansas City went 6-0 without the drop-prone pass catchers henceforth, but both Toney and Moore remain tied to rookie deals. Toney’s January outburst on social media — related to the team keeping him on its injury report for the AFC championship game — preceded the former first-round pick becoming a healthy scratch for Super Bowl LVIII. The 2022 trade acquisition is far from certain to be a Chief in 2024.

In addition to Moore, the Chiefs still roster 2023 second-round pick Rashee Rice. Backup wideout Justin Watson, who became a more important piece due to the higher-profile WRs’ drop issues, is also under contract for the ’24 season. It is a mortal lock, however, the Chiefs make a major upgrade attempt at the position this offseason.

Patrick Mahomes Played Central Role In Chiefs Signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, MVS

The Chiefs are 2-0 and enter Week 3 second in points per game. The team, which traded Tyreek Hill and lost other wide receivers in free agency, heads to Indianapolis ranked sixth in passing yards and third in offensive DVOA.

Patrick Mahomes is obviously driving this effort, but the former MVP and Super Bowl MVP is still adjusting to a new-look receiving corps. Kansas City’s fifth-year starter did plenty to assemble this group, beginning shortly after the Hill extension talks took a turn that led to the blockbuster swap with Miami.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach informed Mahomes in mid-March of the increasing likelihood Hill would be dealt, Nate Taylor of The Athletic notes, with the perennial Pro Bowl wideout’s request for a significant raise becoming an untenable proposition for the Chiefs (subscription required). The Raiders’ Davante Adams contract changed Hill’s approach, and the Chiefs added their two free agent receiver targets shortly after the Adams extension (JuJu Smith-Schuster) and the Hill trade (Marquez Valdes-Scantling).

Although it looked for a bit like the Chiefs brought in Smith-Schuster to complement Hill, due to the team’s No. 1 wideout still being on the team when the longtime Steeler signed, Taylor adds Mahomes had begun recruiting Smith-Schuster shortly after learning Hill could be gone. Smith-Schuster had been on Kansas City’s radar for two offseasons. The Chiefs pursued him in 2021, but the former Steelers second-round pick opted to stay in Pittsburgh for one more year. A January report indicated Smith-Schuster was interested in circling back to the Chiefs as well. Mahomes helped move this transaction — a one-year, $3.76MM deal — across the finish line, eyeing the Pittsburgh slot as a player who could excel in myriad capacities in Kansas City.

Valdes-Scantling did not have the Chiefs on his radar to start free agency, according to Taylor, but Mahomes called the ex-Packers deep threat shortly after the Hill deal commenced. MVS visited the Chiefs and signed with them a day later. The Packers had made a late push to retain their former fifth-round pick, but Taylor notes they offered a one-year deal. MVS had expected to land a one-year pact, however, and the Chiefs only guaranteed $8.56MM of the wideout’s three-year, $30MM deal at signing.

Combined, the Chiefs’ top four receivers’ salaries — also factoring in Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore‘s second-round contracts — come in at a fraction of Hill’s league-record $30MM-per-year Dolphins dough. Hill has gotten off to a fast start in Miami and fit better on a Dolphins payroll lacking a franchise-QB salary. Travis Kelce still leads the Chiefs in receiving by a wide margin — something that probably should be expected to be the case at season’s end, barring injury — while Smith-Schuster, MVS and Hardman have combined for 21 receptions through two games. Moore is being brought along slower, having played just 15 offensive snaps in two weeks.

Contract Details: Armstead, MVS, Douglas, Peterson, Peppers, Butler, Barnett, Harris

Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to around the NFL:

  • Terron Armstead, T (Dolphins): Five years, $75MM. In addition to a $12MM signing bonus, Armstead’s $43.37MM guarantee includes his 2022 and ’23 base salaries ($1.1MM, $9MM), Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Armstead’s $13.25MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed for injury at signing. The deal includes $2.5MM-per-year incentives for playing time and Pro Bowl accolades, Wilson adds (on Twitter).
  • Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR (Chiefs): Three years, $30MM. Valdes-Scantling’s $18MM guaranteed includes a $6MM signing bonus and a fully guaranteed 2022 base salary ($2.56MM), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The Chiefs have some flexibility in 2023. MVS has $6.4MM of his $8.6MM 2023 salary guaranteed for injury at signing; that shifts to a full guarantee if the wideout is on Kansas City’s roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. Valdes-Scantling’s $11.6MM 2024 base is nonguaranteed.
  • Rasul Douglas, CB (Packers): Three years, $21MM. The Packers gave Douglas a $5.3MM signing bonus and have him tied to base salaries of $1.1MM, $2.25MM and $6.25MM, Wilson tweets. Douglas will collect a $2MM roster bonus if he is on Green Bay’s roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year.
  • Derek Barnett, DE (Eagles): Two years, $13.2MM. Barnett will see $7MM fully guaranteed, which includes $5.5MM in Year 1 and $1.5MM in Year 2, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes (Twitter links). The Eagles guaranteed $1.5MM of Barnett’s 2023 salary and will guarantee $2MM more of that $7.5MM figure if he is on their roster on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. There are $9MM in incentives available, Wilson tweets.
  • Malcolm Butler, CB (Patriots): Two years, $9MM. The Patriots only guaranteed the recently unretired cornerback $750K, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets. That comes via a $500K signing bonus and a $250K guarantee of Butler’s 2022 base salary. Butler’s cap numbers check in at $2.22MM and $2.75MM.
  • Patrick Peterson, CB (Vikings): One year, $4MM. In addition to the $3.5MM guaranteed Peterson will collect, Wilson notes the Vikings included $1MM in playing-time and playoff incentives (Twitter link). The team tacked a void year onto the deal.
  • Anthony Harris, S (Eagles): One year, $2.5MM. The Eagles are guaranteeing $1MM of Harris’ $2MM base salary, Wilson tweets.
  • Jabrill Peppers, S (Patriots): One year, $2MM. The Patriots are giving Peppers a $300K signing bonus and guaranteeing his $1.1MM base salary, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes $3MM in playing-time incentives.

Packers Made Late Push For Marquez Valdes-Scantling

The Packers, who entered the offseason with one of the worst salary cap situations in the league, were expecting to lose free agent WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling to another team. But after the Davante Adams trade opened up cap room and created a glaring need for receiving talent, Green Bay made a late push to re-sign MVS, as Tom Silverstein of of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. This jibes with an earlier report that the Packers were hoping to convince the four-year pro to stay.

Ultimately, the Chiefs — who had a receiver need of their own after trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins — landed Valdes-Scantling on a three-year, $30MM contract ($18MM guaranteed). It’s unclear if that was a more lucrative deal than what Green Bay was offering, or if Valdes-Scantling simply decided that Kansas City represented a better opportunity.

One way or another, it seems that the 27-year-old deep threat fared better on the open market than he was expecting. Per Silverstein, MVS was aiming for a one-year pact worth between $7MM-$10MM when free agency opened, though he believed that such a contract would include void years for cap purposes. But in addition to the Chiefs and Packers, the Saints were also in the running, as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweets, and having a number of interested clubs helped to drive up the asking price.

Valdes-Scantling is obviously not a perfect replacement for Hill, one of the game’s most talented receivers. Still, MVS’ big-play abilities — he boasts a career 17.5 YPR average — should nicely complement the skill-sets of fellow wideout Mecole Hardman, TE Travis Kelce, and new slot receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and after dropping seven passes in 2020, he muffed just one in 2021.

The Packers and Saints, meanwhile, will continue to search for upgrades. Green Bay may be interested in free agents like Will Fuller and Odell Beckham, while New Orleans has been connected to Jarvis Landry. Both clubs could also turn to the draft, which is deep in WR talent.

Chiefs Sign WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Barely a day after they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, the Chiefs will sign one of the top wide receivers remaining on the market. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is committing to Kansas City on a three-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Chiefs have since announced the move.

The former Packers deep threat agreed to terms on a three-year pact worth $30MM. The Packers still had hopes of re-signing MVS, but the four-year veteran will head to Missouri. Valdes-Scantling will receive $18MM guaranteed on a deal that can be worth up to $36MM. The Chiefs will save quite a bit of money with this receiver commitment, compared to what they would have paid Hill.

Kansas City offered Hill a contract that would have made him one of the league’s highest-paid receivers, but the sides did not progress. The difference in the Chiefs and Dolphins’ offers was notable, Drew Rosenhaus said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, on Twitter). The Dolphins gave Hill a four-year, $120MM extension, one that is closer to three-year, $75MM deal.

Valdes-Scantling visited Kansas City on Wednesday, shortly after the news broke Hill was being granted permission to seek a trade. The former fifth-round pick will join a reconstructed Chiefs receiving corps, which houses JuJu Smith-Schuster as well. The Chiefs still have Mecole Hardman under contract but have dealt Hill and seen Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson find new teams in free agency.

The Packers hoped they could convince MVS to stay, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes, but multiple suitors emerged. As a result, Valdes-Scantling will shift to another MVP quarterback. Despite entering the league two years later, Valdes-Scantling is only a few months younger than Hill. The 27-year-old wideout also struggled with drops during his time in Wisconsin, but he showed considerable deep capabilities with Aaron Rodgers. It is fairly easy to see why the Chiefs targeted him, given Hill’s long-range importance in their Patrick Mahomes-keyed attack.

Valdes-Scantling led the NFL with 20.9 yards per catch in 2020, catching six touchdown passes that season. Last year, a hamstring injury and a COVID-19 contraction led to the South Florida alum missing seven games. He finished the season with just 26 receptions for 430 yards. Valdes-Scantling does not have a 1,000-yard season on his resume at the pro or college level, but the Chiefs are confident he will fill part of the void created by Hill’s sudden departure. The Packers, meanwhile, will continue to search for difference-makers for a receiving corps that looks like one of the NFL’s thinnest post-Davante Adams.

Chiefs Host WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, RB Ronald Jones

Following the sudden trade of Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs are eyeing some offensive reinforcement. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Chiefs hosted wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The reporter cautions that a deal is not imminent.

[RELATED: Chiefs Trade Tyreek Hill To Dolphins]

Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com writes that running back Ronald Jones also visited Kansas City today.

Valdes-Scantling was a fifth-round pick by the Packers in 2018, and he didn’t miss a single regular season game during his first three seasons in the NFL, culminating in a 2020 campaign where he finished with a career-high 703 yards from scrimmage and a league-leading 20.9 yards per reception. The receiver had a stint on the IR in 2021 that limited him to only 11 games, and he finished the season with 430 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Jones was also a 2018 draft pick, with the second-round RB getting selected by the Buccaneers. Jones saw an inconsistent role during his first four seasons in the NFL; he had more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in both 2019 and 2020, but he was limited to only 492 yards from scrimmage in 2021 while playing second fiddle to Leonard Fournette.

 

David Bakhtiari Not Playing Vs. Niners

Nine-year veteran tackle David Bakhtiari missed nearly the entire 2021 NFL season after tearing his ACL on New Year’s Eve during the 2020 season. Unfortunately, he will have to continue waiting to play in his first playoff game since January of 2019, as the team announced, via Twitter, that he will be inactive for tonight’s game against the 49ers. 

Bakhtiari had made a return for the Packers’ regular season finale, making the start in Detroit, but only playing 40% of the team’s offensive snaps. Head Coach Matt LaFleur shook off the early exit in a postgame press conference stating, “I wouldn’t say it’s anything we’re concerned about,” but it appears some continual discomfort throughout the week will keep the two-time All Pro from making a postseason return, just yet.

In the absence of Bakhtiari this year, the Packers have employed Elgton Jenkins at the blindside tackle position. Despite the reshuffled offensive line and several other injuries to key players, Green Bay still secured a first-round bye and homefield advantage. They will work tonight to extend their season another week and give Bakhtiari at least one more chance for a postseason return.

Other inactives for the Packers listed for the game tonight were safeties Shawn Davis & Vernon Scott, linebacker Jonathan Garvin, and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The 49ers will be without cornerbacks Ambry Thomas & Deommodore Lenoir, safety Jarrod Wilson, running back Trey Sermon, linebacker Marcell Harris, offensive lineman Jaylon Moore, and defensive lineman Maurice Hurst. Packers’ cornerback Jaire Alexander is expected to play tonight after being listed as questionable.

Packers Activate Randall Cobb From IR

Randall Cobb is back on the Packers’ active roster. Green Bay used the full three-week ramp-up period to prepare its slot receiver for the playoffs, and Cobb is officially off IR.

The 11th-year veteran suffered a core muscle injury suffered while catching a touchdown pass against the Rams in November. The injury required surgery, but Cobb made a quicker-than-expected return to practice. After coming back to practice Dec. 30, Cobb is on track to play against the 49ers on Saturday.

While Cobb has played many playoff games as a Packer, has not suited up for a postseason contest since the 2016 NFC championship game. The Packers let Cobb walk in free agency after the 2018 season, and after one-year stints with the Cowboys and Texans, he returned to Green Bay via late-summer trade at Aaron Rodgers‘ request.

Cobb, 31, proved a key weapon in certain spots for Rodgers this season. During a Week 8 win over the then-unbeaten Cardinals, a game that featured Green Bay’s top wideouts shelved on the reserve/COVID-19 list, he caught two touchdown passes. Cobb also caught two TD passes against the Steelers earlier this year. The Rams TD catch was his fifth, but it ended up costing him extensive time. Cobb ended the regular season with 28 receptions for 375 yards and five TDs, amassing these totals in 12 games.

The Pack are expected to have a host of injured players back when they return to action. David Bakhtiari played against the Lions in a meaningless Week 18 game, and fellow Pro Bowlers Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith have joined Cobb in ramping up for the playoffs. Center Josh Myers also played against the Lions, after a two-plus-month absence, and right tackle Billy Turner returned to practice last week. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, however, is not expected to play against San Francisco. A back injury has the veteran deep threat doubtful.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/21/21

Once again, we’ve had a busy day of moves on and off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Here are the players who were placed on the list or activated off of it today:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dalton Keene (remains on IR)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Football Team