How Josh Allen's vibes helped Bills land free agent WR

The Buffalo Bills quarterback is a pretty good vibes guy.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts after a / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned vibe session with the boys.

A good ‘vibe sesh’ just hits differently; the best ones, in fact, can even inspire you to sign with an NFL team.

This is reportedly the situation that recently manifested inside the mind of veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who inked a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills last week. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Valdes-Scantling decided that he wanted to “be a Bill” after eating dinner at Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s house on Monday night. The two "hit it off," and the contract was finalized Tuesday morning.

Part of the back-story with Marquez Valdes-Scantling signing with Buffalo: Josh Allen had him over to his house for dinner Monday night as part of the receiver's free agent visit. The two hit it off, and MVS decided that night he wanted to be a Bill. https://t.co/FI95Y1EeW8

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 16, 2024

It’s a testament to the power of good vibes, which is something Allen has brought to Western New York throughout the past six years. He’s been the catalyst in the Bills’ evolution from irrelevant bottom-dweller to perennial contender, passing for 22,703 yards and 167 touchdowns since entering the league in 2018. He’s also prolific on the ground, rushing for 3,611 yards and 53 touchdowns over his career; the former All-Pro is currently in the midst of an NFL-record four-year streak in which he’s tallied 40 or more total touchdowns.

Related: ESPN questions Josh Allen's status as an 'elite quarterback' without Stefon Diggs

He’s good good, but he’ll soon need to find new go-to targets in Buffalo’s receiving corps after the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, who finished first and second in receiving yards, respectively, for the team in each of the past two seasons.

Enter Valdes-Scantling, who has caught 186 passes for 3,155 yards and 16 touchdowns throughout his six-year NFL tenure. A big-bodied boundary field-stretcher, Valdes-Scantling has never been an unabashed primary target in an offense (never supplanting 700 receiving yards in a single season), but he does inject speed into a revamped Buffalo receiving corps that was largely devoid of the attribute. He figures to serve as a fifth option in the aerial attack behind Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, rookie Keon Coleman, and tight end Dalton Kincaid; that said, it’s reassuring to see that he and Allen have gotten off on the right foot.