Travis Kelce is eagerly waiting for the chance to line up beside Marquise Brown (Hollywood Brown). The Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a one-year, up to $11 million deal with Brown’s agents.
Now, understanding legal terms is tricky business, which was rightfully pointed out by Travis’ older brother Jason Kelce on the latest episode of their ‘New Heights ‘ podcast. The former Philadelphia Eagles center rightfully pointed out that teams play around with the wording to sensationalize a player’s contract.
The wording of some of these contracts a lot of the time, so either the Chiefs or Marquise Brown want to make it sound like $11 million. Up to means it's not $11 million. It means he has got to be a pro bowler with a certain number of catches and a certain number of yards. I am not trying to hate, but the way these contracts have started to get sensationalized, it's stupid. Jason Kelce said
Brown’s deal is more or less a ‘prove it’ contract, which means if the 26-year-old fails to perform, he will be released. However, Travis Kelce believes that the former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver is worth every penny.
Hollywood is going to get $11 million because he is worth every penny, and he is about to go crazy this year. Put a stamp on it. Travis added
How is Marquise Brown’s new contract with the Chiefs is looking?
As Jason Kelce speculated, $11 million is not guaranteed money for Brown. First of all, $2.8 million of the $11 million is designated as NLTBE (Not Likely to Be Earned) because Brown missed several games due to injury in 2023.
Per Spotrac, Brown’s deal begins with a $3 million signing bonus. His base salary is $3.5 million, with a cap hit of $6.5 million. Additionally, he will earn a workout bonus of $250,000 while carrying a cap hit of $8,205,882 and a dead cap value of $6,500,000.
Moreover, there are several incentives, as Jason, and Travis pointed out. Brown played 69% of the Arizona Cardinals‘ offensive snaps last season. So $750,000 is designated for a possible $1.5 million in incentives, which he may earn against the cap in 2024.
Then there’s a $1.5 million possible incentive based on receiving yardage. Brown notched 574 yards in 2023, so he will be eligible for the lowest base of $500,000 for 500 yards.
Moreover, a $250,000 per-game roster bonus in a 17-game NFL season. Finally, $500,000 for scoring five touchdowns and an extra $250,000 for the sixth and seventh TDs.
More must-reads: