The San Francisco 49ers WR room has been the biggest mystery on the roster approaching the 2025 NFL season.
Since Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are both currently banged up approaching their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers managed to add a veteran deep threat to the WR room ahead of Week 1 of the upcoming NFL season.
Report: 49ers Sign WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
According to sources who told Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team on Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers have signed veteran WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling less than a week after the Seattle Seahawks decided to part ways with the USF product.
Meirov posted on X, “Source: The #49ers are signing veteran WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was just recently released by Seattle. Valdes-Scantling was choosing between Pittsburgh and San Francisco.”
Oddly enough, Valdes-Scantling is joining the franchise he was expecting to take on as an opponent next Sunday with the 49ers set to start the year facing off against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Mike Luciano of Niner Noise urged the 49ers to jump on the opportunity the Seahawks gifted to a banged up San Francisco receiver group one day before Valdes-Scantling signed with the team.
“At full strength, the Niners’ three best receivers of Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings have some very specific holes in their game that could lead to them sputtering due to a lack of versatility. San Francisco would do well to invest in one more vertical threat, and a hated rival may have gift-wrapped a perfect veteran target for them,” wrote Luciano. “Valdes-Scantling is what he is at this point in his career. He is never going to run the crispest routes in the world, and there will be some drops mixed in, but he remains a 6-4 wideout with great speed for his size and a penchant for reeling off big plays when he is sent on vertical routes.”
Valdes-Scantling has produced 3,566 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns over his 205 receptions as a member of the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Buffalo Bills.
What Does the Addition of Valdes-Scantling Say About the Injuries to Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings?
The reason the 49ers have brought in both Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore over the past few weeks is because of the injuries to Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings.
Aiyuk was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which means he is likely to miss the first month of the season while recovering from a devastating knee injury from 2024.
Jennings injured calf isn’t quite as concerning but his status for Week 1 is still uncertain, which is only amplified by his desire to get a new contract ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
As if these two injuries weren’t enough to give head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy a headache, veteran WR Demarcus Robinson is also unavailable to start the season while he serves a three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
This leaves Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, and Valdes-Scantling as the potential top three options at receiver entering the 2025 NFL season.
Ultimately, Valdes-Scantling isn’t a strong candidate to lead the WR room in receiving production this year, but the Seahawks may have inadvertently helped their division rival add some desperately needed veteran depth ahead of their Week 1 showdown next Sunday.
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