It turns out that Marquez Valdes-Scantling playing the Seattle Seahawks’ final preseason game was as ominous as it looked.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the two-time Super Bowl champion has been released.
Tacoma News Tribune’s Gregg Bell added that the Seahawks also tried trading MVS but there were obviously no suitors. Valdes-Scantling is a vested veteran,
which means he’s accrued enough NFL seasons to not be subject to waivers during cutdown day and is an immediate unrestricted free agent.
The Seahawks signed MVS as a free agent in March after his brief stint with the New Orleans Saints, where he had several big plays under current Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. His abilities as a deep threat (even acknowledging his notoriously inconsistent hands) were the main attraction for bringing him on board, especially after the Seahawks traded away DK Metcalf.
The emergence of fifth-round rookie Tory Horton, who eventually took first-team offensive reps late in camp and in preseason, immediately put MVS’ roster spot under threat. Unlike roster bubble players like Dareke Young and Cody White, Valdes-Scantling doesn’t play any special teams, so moving on from him felt distinctly possible even acknowledging the $3 million in guaranteed money.
However, as John Gilbert notes, there is a path for the Seahawks to recoup some money if he gets picked up by another team.
In the meantime, it’s Tory Horton SZN.
