Released WR to Make Mike Macdonald Regret Roster Decision After Snubbing Aaron Rodgers

For Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks, the decision to release Marquez Valdes-Scantling was just a business roster move in a long, grueling summer. But in the NFL, business has a funny way of circling back on you, armed with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and a knowledge of all your playbook secrets.

The man they call MVS didn’t stay unemployed for long. The phone rang. One path led to Pittsburgh, to a familiar face and a legendary arm. “He wanted me back over there,” Valdes-Scantling said of Aaron Rodgers, his former Packers teammate. The pull of that history was strong. It was, by his own admission, a “toss-up, 50/50.” But the other path led to Santa Clara, to the 49ers, and it was paved with strategic advantage. He joined their practice squad, though that appears to be a bit of a technicality due to his guaranteed contract. He can be elevated for Week 1 and then promoted to the active roster sometime thereafter.

Choosing the 49ers over a Hall of Fame quarterback’s personal request for MVS?  “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,” he explained. The 49ers’ offense, orchestrated by Klay Kubiak, is a close cousin to the one he just left in Seattle under Klint Kubiak—and the one he thrived in last year in New Orleans, where he put up a stellar 17 catches for 385 yards and 4 TDs in just 8 games, averaging a blistering 22.6 yards per catch.

Oct 29, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) runs the ball against Denver Broncos cornerback Fabian Moreau (23) in the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers’ interest in the veteran deep threat was years in the making, a pursuit that spanned his Super Bowl wins in Kansas City. And the timing is perfect. The 49ers open their season against the very team that just cast him aside: Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks.

“Obviously, I just spent the last six months with those guys, and I went against those guys every single day,” MVS noted. “So, of course I’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, this is the type of things that give them trouble, or This is the type of coverage that they’d like to play,’ or ‘This is the style of football that these corners like to play.” He’s too much of a professional to call it insider trading, downplaying it as nothing you couldn’t see on film.

But then he delivers the quiet dagger, the real nugget of value that film can’t provide: “But it’s not any knowledge that anybody else doesn’t have. They just turn the tape on. Everybody does the same thing that they do on film; they do it in the next game. So it won’t be much that I can say that hasn’t been said already, but I’ll obviously be able to give more insight to the receivers about how certain guys play certain leverages and stuff like that.” 

Inside intel becomes the 49ers’ secret weapon and bonds with A’rod

MVS’s new teammates, like rookie safety Marques Sigle, are already eager to tap into his well of knowledge. The value is undeniable. “It’s been a long journey coming,” Valdes-Scantling also admitted. “Obviously, I’ve been a big fan of [49ers GM] John [Lynch]. He was a former Buccaneer, and that’s where I’m from. So I got to watch him growing up, and now, he’s the GM I get to talk to every day. So it’s cool.”

That’s the nuance that wins individual matchups. That’s the detail that turns a 50/50 ball into a 70/30 advantage. For a head coach like Mike Macdonald, whose entire philosophy is built on defensive complexity and disguise, there is now a man on the opposite sideline who has spent months deciphering his code.

So, while Aaron Rodgers is in Pittsburgh, working through preseason kinks and building new bonds, his former favorite downfield weapon is preparing to haunt the team that didn’t want him. He’s traded the black and gold for scarlet and gold, a move less about snubbing an old friend and more about embracing a perfect opportunity. “Obviously, I have a great relationship with Aaron Rodgers over there, and he wanted me back over there. So, it was a toss-up…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.”

Jan 16, 2021; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (83) runs for a first down on a reception against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Troy Hill (22) and inside linebacker Troy Reeder (51) during their NFL divisional playoff game Saturday, January 16, 2021, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY NETWORK

His chemistry with Aaron Rodgers wasn’t built in a day; it was forged over four seasons and 58 games in Green Bay. Together, they connected 121 times for 2,134 yards and 13 touchdowns, with MVS’s blistering speed creating a deep-threat average of 17.5 yards per catch—a mark that still ranks fifth all-time in the storied history of the Packers franchise for any receiver with over 100 catches. They were responsible for explosive plays, including two 70+ yard touchdowns in the 2020 season alone.

The 49ers get a proven vertical threat with a historic 17.4 yards-per-catch average for his career and a chip on his shoulder, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling gets a chance to show Mike Macdonald that some roster decisions are more than just transactions—they’re preludes to regret.

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