KC Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes: ‘A Lot’ of Throwing to Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown Soon
The Kansas City Chiefs' new duo of Patrick Mahomes and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown hasn't connected for a single pass yet, but it's already turning heads.
Last week's reported agreement on a one-year contract insulates Kansas City's wideout room and also makes Mahomes's life a lot easier. While the 2023-24 campaign still ended with a Super Bowl victory, the offense sputtered for a good chunk of the regular season and the lack of high-end talent in the receiver unit was evident. The Chiefs are making an effort to improve the floor and ceiling of that collective this offseason, and acquiring Brown is the first major step in that process.
According to Mahomes, he'll be throwing to Brown plenty over the next several months.
Over the weekend, Mahomes and his wife Brittany spoke to the ESPN crew from the home opener for the Kansas City Current. When Brown was brought up, the two-time NFL MVP tipped his cap to the incoming receiver and indicated that he's ready to get to work.
"Yeah, he just brings a ton of dynamic playmaking ability," Mahomes said. "I think just being able to add a guy like that who's ready to come in and work and be hungry — I've already talked to him. There will be a lot of throwing sessions in our future. We're going to try to keep this thing rolling. We're going to win the soccer championship here with the women's soccer team, and then we're going to try to go back to that Super Bowl again."
Although Brown is coming off an underwhelming season for his standards, he's still a noted improvement for the Chiefs. In 14 games last year, he hauled in 51 passes for 574 yards and four touchdowns. Among all Kansas City wideouts, those marks would've trailed only Rashee Rice. Considering Brown has a 1,000-yard receiving season under his belt, that final-year production with the Arizona Cardinals seemed to be more of the exception than the rule.
In his five-year career, Brown's quarterback situation has been interesting. His two premier talents were Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and Kyler Murray in Arizona, although neither offense was perfect. The Ravens' system was centered more around the run game, and Murray dealt with injuries during Brown's time with the Cardinals. Brown has never played with a quarterback like Mahomes nor been in an offense as pass-happy or respected as that of head coach Andy Reid. This new adventure is a near-perfect fit for him.
Kansas City still has some time before its offseason program begins. April 15 is when the conditioning eligibility window opens, with that initial phase being known for Mahomes hosting his receivers for workouts. Those throwing sessions in Texas have even contributed to draft picks like Rice, so their importance is certainly there. With Brown looking to get and stay healthy while making an impact on his new team, the upcoming work he puts in with the NFL's best player will serve as a solid foundation.