A former Super Bowl contributor from Kansas City’s recent title years is now on a division rival’s practice squad, and Chiefs fans may see him again sooner than they would like.
The Los Angeles Chargers are signing wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday.
“Chargers are signing veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad,” Fowler wrote.
The timing is hard to miss around here. Kansas City hosts the Chargers in Week 6 on Oct. 18 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. If Los Angeles elevates him, an old teammate could be lining up across from Patrick Mahomes instead of catching passes from him.
Valdes-Scantling is joining his ninth NFL team. He spent training camp and the preseason with the Dallas Cowboys before the club released him during final roster cuts.
The Chargers needed bodies. They placed wide receiver KeAndre Lambert on injured reserve, and top receiver Ladd McConkey is dealing with a rib injury that has been labeled day-to-day.
Kansas City once bet big on that same profile. The Chiefs signed Valdes-Scantling to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2022. At 6-foot-4 with 4.2-second 40-yard dash speed, he was supposed to replace some of the vertical threat the offense lost when Tyreek Hill was traded.
His first year in red and gold was the best regular season of his career. He set a personal high with 42 receptions for 687 yards and two touchdowns.He also showed up in January. In the 2022 AFC Championship Game against Cincinnati, Valdes-Scantling caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown as Kansas City punched its ticket to Super Bowl LVII.
In 2023, Valdes-Scantling dropped several passes, and even his effort came into question. The Chiefs’ wide receiver group was a weakness that season, and he did not lift it.
Then the postseason arrived again. He made the game-sealing reception in the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore, then caught a touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII as Kansas City won another title.
The Chiefs released him after the 2023 season. In two regular seasons in Kansas City, he finished with 63 receptions for 1,002 yards and three touchdowns. The bigger memories were the playoff ones.
He has not stayed put since. Stops with the Bills, Saints, Seahawks, 49ers, Steelers and Cowboys followed. Production has been uneven, but the speed that first sold Kansas City is still the selling point.
The Chiefs are still looking for stability at receiver in 2026. Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy were expected to reshape the position after Valdes-Scantling left. Both have had significant injury issues, and Rice has also had legal trouble off the field.
Kansas City is banking on those two staying healthy and taking the next step. Tyquan Thornton has shown he can threaten defenses deep, but he still needs to round out his game. Rookie Cyrus Allen drew plenty of offseason hype and now has to prove it when the games count.
A practice-squad signing does not guarantee Valdes-Scantling will play in Arrowhead in October. It does guarantee an awkward reunion if he does.
For a fan base that watched him help close championship games, seeing No. 11 in Chargers colors would be a strange chapter in a career that never quite settled in Kansas City — except when the lights were brightest.
