For one of the newest members of the Buffalo Bills‘ receiving corps, old friendships trump new rivalries.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed with the Bills in May, said he reached out to friend and former teammate Aaron Rodgers to work out in Los Angeles this week. The pair played together for four seasons on the Green Bay Packers and remained close afterward.
Though Rodgers is now at the helm for the rival New York Jets, Valdes-Scantling said he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to put in some offseason work with his former quarterback.
“Me and Aaron have been great friends since I’ve been in Green Bay. I hit him up, told him I was coming out to L.A., and said, ‘Let’s run some routes,’” Valdes-Scantling said in an appearance on FS1. “So we got it in, went out to some high school, and ran some routes together. We’re good. It was good.”
New Bills Receiver Taking Lessons from His Tenure in Green Bay
Valdes-Scantling is holding onto more than just friendships from his time in Green Bay. The 29-year-old receiver said in an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that he’s looking back on a lesson he learned from Packers teammate Davante Adams about how to best fit on a new team.
“I think one of the best things I ever learned from Davante is just come in and be yourself,” Valdes-Scantling said. “Don’t try to come in and emulate me, don’t try to come in and emulate [Randall] Cobb. Larry Fitzgerald was my favorite receiver growing up, don’t try to be that guy. Just be yourself because that’s what got you here. Just going in and being myself is the goal. It’s never about what anybody else did before me or after me. It’s all about who I am and being the best version of myself.”
Valdes-Scantling said he took a similar approach when joining the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, just after the departure of All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill. He is stepping into a similar situation in Buffalo, where top receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis left the team in the offseason.
“I never really look at it like [replacing a player], because I went through the same thing when I went to Kansas City and Tyreek Hill left,” Valdes-Scantling said. “I just come in there and be myself, whatever that version of myself is that’s needed for the team to help them win, that’s what it is. I’ve never really tried to say, ‘Oh yeah, I want to come in and replace a guy.’
Marquez Valdes-Scantling ‘Impressed’ at Early Practices
Valdes-Scantling could have the opportunity to step into a significant role in a receiving corps that has undergone some significant changes. Along with Diggs and Davis, veterans Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield also left the Bills in the offseason. Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire noted that Valdes-Scantling and fellow veteran Chase Claypool are both on track to earn roster spots thanks to their versatility.
“However, with [Khalil] Shakir and [Curtis] Samuel also profiling as slot targets, Valdes-Scantling and Claypool–who also impressed this spring–get the nod with their more versatile skill sets,” Wojton wrote.
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