The Kansas City Chiefs' latest big-time offseason pickup is now official, as Marquise "Hollywood" Brown signed his one-year contract on Monday.
Brown, a five-year veteran wide receiver, is inked to a base value of $7 million with an additional $4M reportedly being available via incentives. The former first-round pick didn't cash in at the number most expected, although he did end up in a situation that should be the best of his career thus far. On the abbreviated contract, the 26-year-old can chase a championship in 2024-25 and then attempt to secure a long-term deal next offseason.
Tipping his cap to quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, Brown said multiple factors led to him deciding on the Chiefs. That "mutual interest," as he described it when he spoke to the media on Monday afternoon, played a significant role.
"It was quite a few teams [interested]," Brown said. "I was really leaving it up to my agent. Kansas City was a place I told him I wanted to be if that was an opportunity. And it kind of just unfolded, I let him do his job and God made it happen."
In three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Brown hauled in 195 passes for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns. Following a 1,008-yard 2021 campaign and a true breakout in his age-24 season, however, he requested and was granted a trade. The Arizona Cardinals wound up being his destination, and the former Oklahoma Sooner reunited with quarterback Kyler Murray. Unfortunately, neither season saw Brown produce at the career-best level he established in Baltimore.
Part of that is due to injury, whether to Brown or Murray, but there was more to it. Brown's fit in Baltimore and Arizona's offenses were both far from perfect, which contributed to his up-and-down statistical output. Now entering perhaps the NFL's most pass-happy offense and a system led by an all-time great quarterback and head coach, Brown is confident about this new endeavor suiting him.
"Being in this system, I feel like I'll be able to showcase my skill set," Brown said. "I still feel like there's a lot of my game that I really haven't got to show people. That's probably what I'm excited about the most being here, it's to just put my best foot forward and show what I can do."
Wanting to "affect all three levels of the game," Brown believes he can help make everyone around him better in the process.
"I feel like I can move around and do different things," Brown said. "I can stretch the field, and there are guys here. (Travis) Kelce, the running backs, (Rashee) Rice, (Kadarius) Toney. There are weapons here. I just feel like I can come in [and] my game can complement the guys they have here. And Coach Reid, he's a mastermind, and Patrick Mahomes. I'm excited to work with everyone."
Brown's point about threatening all levels of the field is valid. In 2023, nearly 46% of his targets came either at the line of scrimmage or within nine yards of it. He posted healthy splits in the 10-20 range (27.7%) and deep down the field (22.3%), but just 4.3% of his targets were behind the line. That figure was 12.6% the year before and 14.4% in 2021. The Chiefs undoubtedly brought him in to be a vertical presence; that much is assumed. With that said, getting him more involved in Reid's classic staples will allow him to make an impact in more ways than one.
One thing Brown has yet to experience is true winning. In Baltimore, the most he witnessed in the postseason was losing in the Divisional Round. The Cardinals teams he played on went 4-13 in back-to-back years. Kansas City, on the other hand, has won double-digit games for nine years running and is the NFL's champion three times this decade. The possibility of helping them secure ring No. 4 influenced Brown's decision. Now it's time to justify the choice.
"When the Chiefs are interested in you, you've got to take a look at that," Brown said. "Of course, I can go get some money at other places but at the end of the day, it's about winning. It's about what I want, and I feel like everything just worked out the way it should."
More must-reads: