The Kansas City Chiefs offense had its share of critics around this time last year following the departure of Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill. The team added several new receivers and didn’t miss a beat continuing their upward trend in excellence while Patrick Mahomes took home a second league MVP award.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a strong showing in his first season in Kansas City, building immediate chemistry with Mahomes and the rest of the offense. The former Green Bay Packers wideout flourished with Mahones, becoming one of the best deep threats in the league and a key contributor late in the season.
With Valdes-Scantling entering his second season in the Chiefs’ system, he told reporters on Wednesday that he is confident that 2023 will be another big season.
“Man, I feel as good as I did last year,” said Valdes-Scantling. “You know, I’m a quick learner. I’m a competitor. So, you know, there’s nothing that I’m ever going to be afraid of. Obviously, the second year in a system is always good. But I feel like I picked it up pretty quickly last year as well. So, it wasn’t really that new to me after about two weeks. So, you know, I’m just excited for what we can do this year. Last year was great, we won a Super Bowl, but we got to do it all over again. So I’m excited about the new challenge.”
Valdes-Scantling finished the postseason strong, but he isn’t necessarily using that finish to catapult him into the upcoming year. He’s maintaining a steady level of confidence that keeps him grounded in his belief that he’s the best at what he does.
“I know I can play football and I know I can play football really well,” Valdes-Scantling said. “There’s nothing about what happened in the playoffs or in the regular season, man. Just throw me the ball and good things happen and that’s kind of how I’ve always been. (I) never get concerned with the numbers, never get concerned with what happened on this play, just keep going. I believe in myself more than anybody. That won’t ever change and that starts with my father and so I know who I believe in and that’s kind of it.”