Despite making it all the way to the Super Bowl once again, the Kansas City Chiefs have their offseason work cut out for them.
There are clear areas of need and improvement on the team – primarily left tackle; but one area that may not be a core need for the reigning AFC Champions could be at receiver.
Since the departure of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs have felt shorthanded in the pass-catching department beyond tight end, Travis Kelce, who is likely to remain with the team this upcoming season.
However, between Rashee Rice‘s very impressive early season work, and Xavier Worthy‘s gradually improving rookie season, the team has found a strong pair of WRs to drive their passing attack.
And their passing offense could get another boost this offseason, as GM, Brett Veach, made it clear that the team is trying to bring back Hollywood Brown, who missed the majority of this past season with a shoulder joint separation, per The Kansas City Star reporter, Sam McDowell.
Brett Veach Looking To Retain Hollywood Brown
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is no longer the borderline #1 receiver he was back during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, where he cracked 1000 yards for the first and only time in his career back in 2021 before being promptly traded to the Arizona Cardinals for the 23rd overall pick on the day of the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, he remains a strong auxilliary piece on any offense as a true sub-4.3 40-yard deep threat on the perimeter.
For an offense that has always valued speed; first with Tyreek Hill; then former Green Bay Packer, Marques Valdez-Scantling; and subsequently Worthy, who was drafted in the first round of the most recent NFL draft, the retention of Brown makes a lot of sense.
Whilst, in Moneyball-esque fashion, neither Worthy nor Brown can re-create the sort of havoc Tyreek Hill wreaked upon secondaries by themselves, together they can provide some comparable vertical-stretching output.
This will also help the team’s most polished, dynamic route runners, Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice – the latter of whom is recovering from a season-ending injury, but is now “back at it” – get free underneath as their offense sees more shell coverage.
What Will Hollywood Brown Cost To Bring Back In 2025?
Brown originally signed a 1-year, $7 million “prove it” type deal last offseason; and despite it being through no fault of his own, will not be likely to have that number improved on, having managed just 9 receptions for 91 yards in two games played in 2024.
Aged just 27, however, there is room for Brown to re-establish himself as a legitimate starting receiver in the NFL, potentially as strong as a high-end WR2.
Spotrac projects his value at around $8 million/year, but in reality he is unlikely to as much as that after his smaller sample size this past year. A more realistic contract would be another “prove it” 1 year deal around the $2.5 million figure. And if he succeeds in 2025, then a much larger contract for the Oklahoma alum could well be on the way.