After hosting him for a workout earlier today, the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the move.
Free agent receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling plans to sign with the Steelers, per source.
Reuniting with Aaron Rodgers from their Green Bay days. pic.twitter.com/1ceeSEqfqg
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 27, 2025
NFL insider Jordan Schultz, who first reported that Valdes-Scantling was working out with the Steelers, also reported the news.
Fowler added that Valdes-Scantling will “most likely” start on Pittsburgh’s practice squad, but that his visit with the Steelers went well and he’s signing with the team.
Most likely starting on practice squad (he’s got 2025 guaranteed money from Seattle), and it’s uncertain exactly when he’ll start due to travel logistics. But, the visit went well and he’ll sign with the team. https://t.co/FCTnhcJthr
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 27, 2025
Valdes-Scantling almost signed with the Steelers ahead of the season, but he opted to join the San Francisco 49ers following his release from the Seattle Seahawks. He began the season on the practice squad in San Francisco, and despite a rash of wide receiver injuries, he struggled to find a consistent role. He finished with four catches for 40 yards in four games before going to IR with a calf injury and was later waived/injured.
The Steelers have reportedly been in the market for wide receiver help ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline, but with Valdes-Scantling available, the team now has a potential option for the second half of the season without needing to give up any assets.
Valdes-Scantling also brings familiarity with QB Aaron Rodgers, as the two were teammates in Green Bay from 2018-2021, a period where he totaled 97 receptions for 1,723 yards and 10 touchdowns in 59 regular-season games. His most productive season came with Rodgers in 2020, when he caught 33 passes for 690 yards and six touchdowns while leading the NFL with 20.9 yards per reception.
He showed off his ability as a field stretcher last season with the New Orleans Saints, finishing the year with 385 yards on 17 receptions with four touchdowns. In Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons last year, Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns, which came on completions of 40 yards and a two-yard grab that was set up by a 67-yard reception earlier in the drive.
With WR Scotty Miller dealing with a finger injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Valdes-Scantling adds another field stretcher for the Steelers and someone comfortable with Rodgers and vice versa. Rodgers wanted Valdes-Scantling in Pittsburgh and tried to recruit him ahead of the season, and eight weeks in, he’ll get his wish.
However, with Valdes-Scantling starting on the practice squad, he may not be an immediate contributor for the Steelers. It could depend on Miller’s injury status and how quickly the Steelers feel Valdes-Scantling is in game shape and comfortable with the offense. But he now provides another option for the Steelers at receiver.
Originally a fifth-round pick by the Packers in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USF, Valdes-Scantling has 2019 receptions for 3,606 yards and 20 touchdowns during his career, with an average of 17.3 yards per reception. While he hasn’t quite had the same success he had during his first stint in Green Bay throughout the rest of his career, he’s always been a deep threat. Reuniting with Rodgers could help him recapture some of the production that the two of them had together.