Few players on the Green Bay Packers provide a viewing experience like wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling does. With tantalizing speed and ideal size, MVS’s highs are euphoric to watch. Yet his drops and early communication issues with Aaron Rodgers have kept him from reaching his full potential. He giveth, and he taketh away.
Packers fans have seen this film before. Aaron Rodgers takes time to develop trust and a connection with his wide receivers, and sometimes the receivers need a bit of patience and trust in return. I’m not too old to remember fans writing off Davante Adams, who struggled with drops and injuries early in his career, in favor of Jeff Janis. We saw how that played out; Adams is the best receiver in the league, and Janis isn’t in the league anymore.
Going into his fourth season, the trust and patience from his teammates and coaches appear to have paid off for Valdes-Scantling. The 26-year-old receiver enters this season with a big role and the confidence to fill it. The MVS hype train has been picking up steam for years, and that locomotive could reach full speed this season.
While the MVS experience has been frustrating for fans at times, he’s improved every season, and the good outweighs the bad. Last season, MVS had 33 regular receptions for 690 yards and a league-best 20.9 yards per catch, along with six TDs. His season’s lowest point was in overtime against the Indianapolis Colts, when he fumbled and set up the game-winning field goal for Indy.
Yet MVS did everything right in the aftermath. He faced the reporters afterward and owned up to his mistake. From then on, the MVS train righted itself. His routes looked crisper, his hands more sure. Lost in the aftermath of the NFC Championship game was his incredible performance: four catches for 115 yards (28.8 YPC!) and a touchdown.
Valdes-Scanting appears to be a new man this offseason. He’s catching almost everything and exudes confidence. He’s also fully earned the respect of Aaron Rodgers. “I don’t even want to talk about the receiver,” Rodgers told reporters recently. “I want to talk about the person. The person is in a way different head space. I think he is so settled mentally, very clear, very present. There’s habits that go along with that, I think. And I think they’re interchangeable — personal, professional — but he’s become a true professional.”
With the game fully clicking for MVS, he can be not just a deep threat but a true No. 2 receiver for the Packers, a team (mistakenly) believed to have a dearth of weapons.
MVS fully believes in himself and his teammates this season. When asked how to defend against the Packers’ receivers, MVS said, “You sack the quarterback. You don’t defend us.”
The Packers’ offense remains mostly intact from last season and should be as powerful as ever, putting MVS in a good position to show this isn’t all talk. His taking that next step can only add more dimensions to Green Bay’s juggernaut of an offense.
If there’s one bad side to MVS balling out this season, it’s the implications for next season. Entering a contract year and coming out of his cheap rookie deal, MVS could easily play too well for the Packers to afford his services. Green Bay is in the unenviable position of needing to make big cap-related decisions for 2022. With Aaron Rodgers, Za’Darius Smith, Jaire Alexander, and, of course, fellow wide receiver Davante Adams looking for new deals, there isn’t a lot of money to go around.
There’s a crowded wide receiver market next season, which could make it easier to retain MVS. Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, and Will Fuller top the list, per Spotrac.
If the Packers truly believe in Valdes-Scantling, it’s best to get him signed on a new deal as soon as possible. And we know the Packers aren’t afraid to make big deals during the season, as seen with David Bakhtiari last year.
What sort of Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love/Davante Adams/MVS combination the team wants to field next season is ultimately irrelevant right now. For the immediate future, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is ready to ball out with Aaron Rodgers and leave his doubters in the dust.
There are still plenty of tickets on the MVS hype train. Get ’em while there’s room.
