The Kansas City Chiefs signed star receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a one-year, $11 million deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday night.
Brown confirmed the signing on Instagram, writing, “Blessed Beyond Measures…Excited To Be Apart Of Chiefs Kingdom.” Brown gives the Chiefs a bonafide receiver for the first time since they traded star speedster Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in 2022.
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Now, they haven’t really needed a star-caliber outside weapon as Patrick Mahomes is so dag-nab good that he’s led them to back-to-back Super Bowl wins since Hill’s departure, but still, I’m sure he’ll appreciate having another weapon. (RELATED: Instant Classic: Chiefs Win Super Bowl In Overtime)
Mahomes has essentially been throwing to a collection of nobodies outside of star tight end Travis Kelce. The Chiefs drafted Rashee Rice in the second round of the 2023 draft and he’s been solid, racking up 938 yards in his rookie year. But after him, the team has a significant drop-off.
Mahomes completed 77 percent of his passes that were targeted to Rice. That number drops to 57 percent for all other receivers, according to ESPN. The team also led the league in drops.
Some of the cast of characters the Chiefs had hoped would bolster their receiver room included Kadarius Toney, who became such a joke that the team sat him in the Super Bowl.
Other 2023 options included Richie James Jr., Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore. The former two are now free agents. The latter has been unable to eclipse more than 250 receiving yards in either of his two seasons.
Brown will join the Chiefs roster as the only receiver to rack up more than 1,000 yards in a season. His production dropped off after the Baltimore Ravens shipped him to the desert, as the Arizona Cardinals offense has been atrocious during his tenure. But I expect a major bounce back from the deep ball threat now that he’ll be catching passes from the best QB in the NFL.