Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling knows how important having a good quarterback is, because he has played with two of the best. The 29-year-old is currently preparing to play in his second Super Bowl in just as many years with the Kansas City Chiefs, less than a week away from facing the San Francisco 49ers in the 58th installment of the big game.
Valdes-Scantling has spent the past two seasons catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, who has been making his case as a top quarterback since he became a starter in the league.
To play with one future Hall of Famer is any wide receiver's hope, but MVS has played with two who are on the track to receiving a gold jacket. Before joining the Chiefs, he played for the Green Bay Packers for four seasons, who at the time were led by Super Bowl champion quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Valdes-Scantling believes Mahomes and Rodgers are the greatest quarterbacks to ever grace an NFL field, saying their talent has altered his career in a positive way.
"I've played with the two best quarterbacks to ever play this game, especially when it comes to arm talent," Valdes-Scantling said (via NBC Sports).
The Super Bowl champion wide receiver said that while Tom Brady may have more records and more Super Bowls, at seven, he believes it's Rodgers and Mahomes who take the cake.
"Obviously [Tom] Brady has all the statistics, but I think Pat's getting pretty close to breaking some of those," Valdes-Scantling said. "But when it comes to arm talent, between Aaron and Pat, they're equal, so having those two guys being my quarterbacks for my career has been nothing but life-changing. I'm grateful for both those guys, I've got great friendships with both those guys. I hope I can finish my career with Pat."
This season, MVS had career lows in in catches (21), yards (315) and touchdowns (one), but he can certainly still be a difference-maker Sunday, when he will be catching passes from one of the best in the NFL.
As he prepares for his fourth Super Bowl in five years, looking for his third win, many conversations around Mahomes have been about whether he's on track to become the greatest of all-time. At 28 years old, Mahomes is on pace to break even more records and potentially reach No. 12's seven championships.
On Super Bowl Opening Night, Mahomes said he is not thinking about reaching Brady's record ring mark, saying he is just focused on winning the next one.
"I mean, I'm not even close to halfway, so I haven't put a lot of thought into it," Mahomes said. "I mean your goal is to be the best player that you can be and I know I'm blessed to be around a lot of great players around me."
Super Bowl LVIII will be played Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It will be broadcasted on CBS, with a family-friendly broadcast on Nickelodeon and streaming on Paramount+.
