Bills WR desperation reaches new level with signing of ex-Chiefs star

The Buffalo Bills' journey to win a Super Bowl was thwarted by the Kansas City Chiefs in three of their last four playoff runs. This offseason, the Bills drastically overhauled their offense, particularly in the wide receiver room. Star Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans for a 2025 second-round draft pick, while Gabe Davis signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Thus far, the Bills replaced them by signing ex-Washington Commanders wide receiver Curtis Samuel and drafting Florida State's Keon Coleman with their second-round pick. Even with these moves, the receiving corps is nowhere near as strong on paper as it was last season. There needed to be reinforcements. So, the Bills decided to take a receiver that their biggest non-division rivals moved on from.

According to various reports, the Bills are signing former Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Athletic senior NFL insider Dianna Russini reports the contract is for one year, worth up to $4.5 million, and includes a $1.125 million signing bonus.

Bills sign former Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling in effort to bolster depth

Somewhere, Chiefs fans are probably laughing. After all, the team that was eliminated by the Chiefs in three of the last four years brought in a wide receiver that they moved on from this offseason. For Chiefs fans, it has to look like the Bills are desperate.

Last season, the Chiefs looked far from dominant Super Bowl contenders, and it had to do with the state of the offense and the wide receiving corps. Valdes-Scantling struggled, looking far from a top option for the Chiefs, who had moved on from Tyreek Hill and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the two years prior.

In the regular season, Valdes-Scantling recorded just 21 receptions for 315 yards and one touchdown on 42 targets. But once the playoffs rolled around, Valdes-Scantling, as did the rest of the Chiefs offense, stepped up and treated it like it was a new season. Through Kansas City's four playoff games, Valdes-Scantling caught 8-of-13 targets for 128 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown occurred in Super Bowl 58 against the San Francisco 49ers.

This offseason, the Chiefs released Valdes-Scantling from his contract. Before signing with the Bills, Valdes-Scantling met with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Bills are obviously banking on quarterback Josh Allen to utilize every receiver on the roster entering the upcoming season. Bringing in a player who knows the Chiefs well does make sense. However, the Bills are still without a quality WR1 on the roster, which will make it hard to make it to the Super Bowl through what has become an even tougher AFC.