A few years ago, Marquez Valdes-Scantling was ready to hop on a plane to head to New Orleans for a free agent visit.
He never got on it.
“I was actually on my visit to the Chiefs, and I was walking out of the door to come down here, to get on the plane,” Valdes-Scantling said. “The Chiefs wouldn’t let me leave, and that’s the history of it.”
Valdes-Scantling signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Chiefs before the 2022 season, and he went on to win two Super Bowls there. But ultimately the road led him back to New Orleans — a place where his connections go beyond that plane he didn’t catch.
Though he grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, Valdes-Scantling said his father’s side of the family is from New Orleans.
“So I’m very familiar with it,” he said. “… My nana’s a big Saints fan, so she’s going to be ecstatic to come to a game.”
New Orleans signed the veteran receiver to help offset the loss of speedster Rashid Shaheed to season-ending knee surgery. The 6-foot-4 Valdes-Scantling is a proven vertical threat, with 22 career catches of 40 or more yards.
Only seven more NFL players have more such plays since Valdes-Scantling entered the NFL in 2018.
“Obviously, injuries are a huge part of the game,” Valdes-Scantling said. “To be able to come in and provide the big-play ability I’ve had over my whole career, I want to be able to get back to doing that, and being able to push the ball down the field so we can score some points.”
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