It seems Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is looking to follow in the footsteps of a previous Super Bowl contender.
Hours after Kansas City punched its ticket to Super Bowl 2023, the 28-year-old wideout took to Twitter to ask a very “serious question” about his halftime designation for the big game.
“Serious question… can I watch Rihanna perform at halftime?” Valdes-Scantling posted.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) before playing against the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 7, 2023.APThe receiver’s followers immediately weighed in, with one fan quipping, “Be up by 3 scores at half and [head coach] Andy [Reid] might consider it.”
Rihanna confirmed in September that she would be headlining the first-ever Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. In recent weeks, the 34-year-old singer has been teasing fans on social media about what they can expect on the big night.
Should Valdes-Scantling sneak a peek at Rihanna’s highly anticipated performance on game day, he’ll be taking a page out of Bengals kicker Evan McPherson’s playbook.
Rihanna performs onstage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.FilmMagicLast February, when McPherson’s Bengals faced the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 2022, the 23-year-old kicker remained on the bench at halftime to watch the star-studded lineup of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent.
At the time, McPherson was joined by long snapper Clark Harris, who previously told The Post’s Mark Cannizzaro how he planned to stay on the field for the show.
“Everybody that’s going to be on that halftime stage are people that I grew up listening to my whole life — Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg — so, I’m going to just stay on the field at halftime and watch the halftime show,” Harris said.
Bengals kicker Evan McPherson during the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show in February 2022.Twitter via NBC SportsFor McPherson and Harris, catching the show turned out to be a Super Bowl consolation prize as the Rams topped the Bengals, 23-20. In the weeks following the loss, Cincinnati’s special teams coordinator, Darrin Simmons, didn’t hold back when discussing McPherson’s decision to remain on the field.
“That’s a sore subject,” Simmons said to The Athletic. “That’s a real sore subject.”
The Chiefs spoiled the Bengals’ hopes of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances on Sunday with a 23-20 victory in the AFC Championship game. Valdes-Scantling had a breakout performance, grabbing six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, stepping up for the Chiefs’ banged-up receiving corps.
Kansas City will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 2023, which gets underway in Arizona on Feb. 12.
