The Kansas City Chiefs made an addition to their offense on Monday with the signing of 26-year-old wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.
Here are five things to know about the Chiefs' newest offensive playmaker.
1. Brown spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Brown caught 51 passes for 574 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games for Arizona last year despite playing without starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the bulk of his season. He hauled in 67 receptions for 709 yards and three scores during the year prior, leading Arizona in catches.
Overall, Brown tallied 118 grabs for 1,283 yards and seven scores during his 26 games with the Cardinals from 2022 through 2023, leading Arizona in all three categories during his time with the team.
2. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.
The Ravens selected Brown with the No. 25 overall selection of the 2019 NFL Draft, making him the first wide receiver selected that year. He went on to play three years with Baltimore, increasing his catch and receiving yardage totals with each campaign.
Brown caught 46 passes for 584 yards and seven scores as a rookie before tallying 58 grabs for 769 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020, but both seasons were just precursors for his breakout campaign in 2021. Brown recorded 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns that year, ranking second on the Ravens in all three categories.
In total, Brown caught 195 passes for 2,361 yards and 21 scores in 46 games with Baltimore from 2019 through 2021, and keep in mind, Brown assembled those numbers while playing in a Ravens offense that ranked 30th in the NFL in net passing yards-per-game during his three seasons with the team.
3. His first name is technically Marquise, but you can call him "Hollywood."
Brown – a native of Hollywood, Florida – received his nickname from legendary broadcaster Gus Johnson, who coined the name following a big play by Brown during a matchup against Kansas State in 2017. Here's a bit more on the ideation of the nickname from Johnson, who revealed its somewhat accidental origins to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com:
"'He went upfield, and I looked down and saw Marquise Brown, where is this kid from? Hollywood, Florida," Johnson said. "I didn't know if it was a fluke or something, this kid was so good. It was Marquise, M-A-R-Q, but I guess I hadn't checked because he wasn't on my radar, the coaches hadn't talked about him, nothing…Because I couldn't be sure if it was Mar-keese or Marcus, I was like, where is he from – Hollywood, I just started calling him Hollywood. OK, Hollywood. Go ahead.'"
The name ended up being a fitting one, too, as Brown emerged on the national stage as one of the most electric playmakers in all of college football. Urban went on to write that the persona associated with a player nicknamed "Hollywood" doesn't quite fit Brown away from the field, but when he's on it, the name couldn't be better.
"…Brown has embraced his nickname because he is proud of where he came from, a country's width away from the Hollywood everyone knows.
'More than anything, he's representing his hometown, so he has no problems wearing that with honor," Johnson said. "But he plays like he's from Hollywood, California. Lights, camera, action. The flair for the dramatic, a burst of energy and speed, a beautiful smile, he's like a movie star, man.'
That's a definition that suits Brown.
'When I am out on the field, I am not that calm, quiet guy," Brown said. "I try to be a playmaker and try to be a highlight-reel type of player. It kind of fits me on the field.'"
For a look at Urban's full article, which is worth a read, click here.
4. Brown has shown an ability to create big plays after the catch.
One of the first things that jumps out about Brown is his obvious speed, as evidenced by his 4.27-second 40-yard dash at Oklahoma's Pro Day back in 2019, but the former high school track star – while certainly a viable deep threat – is more than just a straight-line speedster.
In fact, during his 1,000-yard campaign in 2021, 69 of Brown's 91 catches took place no further than nine yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and on those receptions, Brown recorded 310 yards after-the-catch. At the same time, Brown hauled in four touchdowns on throws of 20+ yards during that year.
It's all to say that Brown should provide Head Coach Andy Reid with a versatile weapon capable of creating big plays in a variety of ways. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the folks at Pro Football Focus gave the move an A+.
5. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma.
Brown was lightly recruited out of high school, leading him to attend College of the Canyons in California while he waited for his opportunity. He certainly made the most of his circumstances, too, compiling a tremendous lone campaign at the junior college level while earning the attention of scouts from around the country.
He eventually landed at Oklahoma, where he went on to assemble consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with at least seven touchdowns in each. His efforts as a junior – which included 75 catches for 1,381 yards and 10 scores – garnered First-Team All-America honors and placed him squarely in the conversation as one of the top players in the nation.
Brown's performance at Oklahoma prompted the Ravens to make him the top receiver selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, and now all these years later, the man they call "Hollywood" is headed to Kansas City to join the back-to-back defending world champions.
