Hollywood Brown has seen his share of peaks and valleys as a former first-round pick. The Oklahoma product saw four consecutive seasons with at least 100 targets from 2020 to 2023. In 2021, his final year with the Baltimore Ravens, Brown topped 1,000 receiving yards. His following two years with the Arizona Cardinals were still fairly productive. Though, Brown would end up missing a combined eight games in those two seasons due to injury.
The Kansas City Chiefs were able to land Hollywood Brown on an incentive-laden one-year deal last offseason. His skill set and experience were just what K.C. was looking for as they overhauled the wide receiver room. Of course, his speed, route running, and ability to gain extra yards after the catch stood out the most entering his Chiefs tenure.
Brown was already facing an uphill battle before the regular season even started. Even though he had dealt with injuries in the prior two years, the one he suffered last preseason was as challenging as any. It was still a great accomplishment for Brown to work his way back and get on the field in 2024.
Kansas City Chiefs free agent profile: Hollywood Brown, wide receiver
Chiefs' 2024 expectations for Hollywood Brown
The offensive playbook has been difficult to master for some wide receivers that Kansas City has brought in. And because of him becoming unavailable, it will never be known what the Patrick Mahomes-Hollywood Brown connection may have looked like to open the regular season. However, there was likely still an expectation that the Chiefs envisioned when adding him to the offense.
Brown can still be a vertical threat in the K.C. offense. In fact, Mahomes even took a few deep shots his way in the small sampling of playing time that we saw late this past season. Outside of the vertical potential, Brown is also someone who has consistently won on quick passes and on intermediate attempts. Like many other fast receivers the Chiefs have utilized, Brown is also a player they knew could move around the offensive formation.
How did 2024 season turn out for Hollywood Brown?
Obviously, the aforementioned upper-body injury derailed a greater opportunity for Hollywood Brown. He still showed some exciting flashes after his return in December. If anything, he helped to make an impact on how defenses were playing Kansas City late in the regular season and early in the playoffs.
Brown received at least five targets in four of his five outings in 2024, including the playoffs. He averaged around 10 yards per reception in that small sample. That production could have been an exact recipe of what the team was hoping for when signing him last offseason.
Will Hollywood Brown re-sign with Chiefs in 2025?
You could argue that out of all the pending free agent wide receivers for the Chiefs this offseason, Hollywood Brown could have as good of a chance as any at being re-signed. Even in a short stint, he showed a great connection with Mahomes. He and Mahomes already developed a friendship, which showed up even in the worst of times for Kansas City.
When it comes to potential contract offers, Brown may not command that much money on the open market. Any team could choose to offer a great chunk of change. Yet, his most recent injury and missed time in 2024 complicate things. That could aid the Chiefs in retaining him if they hope to bring him back.
Free agent prediction for Hollywood Brown
It was reported during the playoffs that the Chiefs could find some competition from other AFC rivals in possibly retaining Hollywood Brown. Will it take another prove-it deal to land him that major payday he may be seeking? If so, it could very well come down to a contract of one or two years to secure Brown's services.
The Chiefs have to get back to a more explosive offense in 2025. Hollywood Brown can help them in that area with his style of play. Even if he is not a top two wide receiver on the depth chart, like he was viewed entering 2024, his presence could still be effective for Kansas City's offensive attack. The Chiefs may hope for a second chance with Brown after a bit of a lost season for the wide receiver.
Prediction: Brown re-signs with Chiefs for two years, $18 million with a chance to reach over $20 million total via incentives