Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed to the 49ers’ practice squad on Thursday and he explained his decision to join the team later in the day.
Valdes-Scantling was released by the Seahawks on Tuesday and he said that he heard from a couple of teams. One offered the chance to reunite with one of his former quarterbacks and one offered a familiar offensive scheme. The 49ers’ offensive coordinator is Klay Kubiak while Klint Kubiak was the wideout’s coordinator with the Saints last year as well as with the Seahawks this summer.
The latter proved more tempting to a player who hopes to get on the field with his new club as quickly as possible.
“It was between here and Pittsburgh,” Valdes-Scantling said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “Obviously, I have a great relationship with Aaron Rodgers over there, and he wanted me back over there. So, it was a toss-up, 50/50, and I had to weigh my options and see which one I wanted to do, which was going to be better for my career at this point, and I was excited about it. . . . Being able to get onto the field right away, obviously, that’s the goal. And so, being able to jump-start that process of learning the system, it betters the chances of you being on the field.”
Injuries to other 49ers wideouts also help Valdes-Scantling’s chances of seeing playing time and his knowledge of the offense should help his chances of turning those opportunities into a regular role for the team.