Report: Notable AFC team interested in Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Marquez Valdes-Scantling remains a free agent after he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this offseason, and one of the team’s rivals reportedly has interest in the veteran wide receiver.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on a recent episode of “NFL Live” that the Los Angeles Chargers “have some interest” in Valdes-Scantling. Fowler noted that the Chargers are in need of an outside speed receiver after they released Mike Williams to save money against the salary cap.

Valdes-Scantling spent the last two seasons with the Chiefs. He had a career-high 42 catches for 687 yards in 2022. The 29-year-old was far less involved last season and only had 21 catches for 315 yards in 16 games.

Though he was not a consistent contributor during the regular season, MVS made some key contributions for the Chiefs in the playoffs. He caught a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes late in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII to give Kansas City its first lead of the game over the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs went on to win 25-22 in overtime.

Valdes-Scantling had eight receptions in four playoff games this year. None were bigger than the impressive 32-yard catch he made to seal the Chiefs’ win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

MVS also had a big postseason when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl a year ago. He had six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in Kansas City’s 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game last year.

The Chargers are looking to rebuild their wide receiver corps after cutting Williams and trading Keenan Allen. Valdes-Scantling would be an inexpensive option with plenty of experience in the regular season and playoffs.