Marquez Valdes-Scantling's failed Seattle Seahawks tenure is over

Even though he was originally signed to be the Seattle Seahawks' third wide receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, veteran pass-catcher Marquez Valdes-Scantling will not play a single regular-season snap for the team.

The Seahawks released Valdes-Scantling on Tuesday as they trimmed their 90-man roster to just 53, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Seattle signed MVS to a one-year, $4 million contract this offseason that included $3 million guaranteed.

Instead of Valdes-Scantling replacing the vertical threat of DK Metcalf in Seattle's new offense under Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks will eat a $3 million dead cap hit and he will be in search of his fourth team in just two seasons.

The connection to Valdes-Scantling originated from his time with the New Orleans Saints in 2024, where he also played under Kubiak. He did well with the Saints, playing in eight games and totaling 35 catches for 385 yards and four touchdowns — emerging as a legitimate deep threat for the New Orleans offense late in the season.

It certainly had been trending this way, even with the $3M Seattle guaranteed him. They signed MVS to be their WR3 and to help replace DK Metcalf's speed, but rookie Tory Horton and others outplayed him. Couldn't make the 53 as the fourth WR since he doesn't play special teams. https://t.co/tOnXbUlfEC
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) August 26, 2025

However, despite his seven years of NFL experience and resume of two Super Bowl titles with the Kansas City Chiefs, Valdes-Scantling was outplayed by rookie fifth-round pick Tory Horton and Seattle's other internally developed talent. Valdes-Scantling had just three catches for 33 yards in the preseason.

With Valdes-Scantling's release, Jake Bobo, Dareke Young and Cody White all likely make the Seahawks' initial 53-man roster. All three have been with Seattle since at least 2023, with Young and White bouncing between the active roster and practice squad during their stints.

Kubiak and head coach Mike Macdonald are rewarding the players who have been around and are willing to play special teams. Young, especially, has been a special teams ace since he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Seahawks.

White shone in the preseason finale, catching three passes for 69 yards and his first NFL touchdown. He appeared in four games for Seattle last season and totaled two catches for 44 yards.

In the end, Valdes-Scantling was the odd man out in a tight wide receiver race, even though he began training camp as a projected starter.

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