PITTSBURGH -- New Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling says that his former and now current quarterback Aaron Rodgers, was the reason he came to play in the Steel City.
Valdes-Scantling, who played four seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay to open his career, has remained close with the four-time MVP, and says the recruiting pitch he gave him is the entire reason he is even with the Steelers.
“He is the reason," Valdes-Scantling said. "Yeah, man, this guy next to me got me here (Rodgers). You’ve been trying to get me around since we left Green Bay."
Valdes-Scantling had the chance to sign with the Steelers earlier this season but instead chose to sign with the 49ers given how similar that scheme is to the one he learned in Seattle this offseason.
That is what Valdes-Scantling wanted, which was a quick turnaround that could allow him to get onto the field. Now in Arthur Smith’s system, Valdes-Scantling has vowed to get up to speed quickly and learn on the fly.
“Learn fast. Everybody runs the same plays, they just calls it different names,” Valdes-Scantling said. “Just being able to figure it out what they call it here and go play.”
Valdes-Scantling, 30, played for two teams last season, the Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints. Across both teams, he had 19 catches for 411 yards and four touchdowns. A big play threat, Valdes-Scantling averaged 21.6 yards per reception.
To start off his career, Valdes-Scantling played with Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers from 2018 through 2021. He had over 400 receiving yards in all of those years, including a career-high 690 receiving yards in 2020.
Valdes-Scantling can play outside or inside, but has mostly played as the team’s Z-receiver. A 6-foot-4, 210 pound wide receiver, Valdes-Scantling ran a 4.37 40-yard dash coming out of USF in the 2018 NFL Draft.
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