On Thursday, March 14, the Baltimore Ravens’ road to the Super Bowl became slightly more tough. The Ravens’ major competitor in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs, acquired a significant free-agent acquisition in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on X, “A new weapon for Patrick Mahomes: Former Ravens and Cardinals WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, per sources.”
The Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2023-24 and may have improved rather than stagnated.
Schefter later explained, “Comp update: The Chiefs are giving Hollywood Brown a one-year deal worth up to $11 million.” He joins one of the Chiefs’ lesser groups, though WR Rashee Rice was starting to emerge near the conclusion of the season and in the playoffs.
Mahomes will now have TE Travis Kelce, Brown, and Rice, and they may not be done adding.
This is comparable to before the 2022 season, when they added WR Juju Smith-Schuster as their primary WR.
Since Tyreek Hill’s departure to the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs have rotated wide receivers in search of a real No. 1 to match with the dynamic Kelce.
It hasn’t stopped the Chiefs, who have won the last two Super Bowls with a shifting group of receivers.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown looks to rebound in Kansas City
Brown was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Ravens and proved to be an effective weapon for quarterback Lamar Jackson.
According to Schefter, “During is final season in Baltimore in 2021, Brown had 91 catches for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns.”
Brown improved with each season with the Ravens, finishing his three seasons with 195 catches, 2,361 receiving yards, and 21 touchdowns.
The receiver was dissatisfied with his role in Baltimore’s run-first offense, so the Ravens traded him to the Arizona Cardinals following the 2021 season.
The Cardinals expected Brown to establish a lethal offense alongside Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, allowing him to advance to the next level. Unfortunately, Brown and the Cardinals were unable to realize their dream.
“During 26 games over two seasons in Arizona, Brown had 118 catches for 1,283 yards and seven TDs,” Schefter said at the time.
Injuries to both Brown and Murray resulted in inconsistent performances for the team. He will now return to the AFC as the NFL’s top quarterback, with a chance to recover his 1,000-yard form from 2021.
The Chiefs remain the AFC favorites over the Ravens.
When the Ravens signed RB Derrick Henry, the idea was that they had closed the gap or maybe surpassed the Chiefs as the AFC’s favorites.
The Ravens fell short of their Super Bowl ambition this season, as the Chiefs defeated them 17-10 in the AFC championship game last season.
However, following Brown’s signing, Vegas Insiders now has the Chiefs with greater odds than the Ravens for both the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs are +360 favorites to win the AFC Championship, while the Ravens are second with +425 odds. The difference is tiny, so Brown’s acquisition could have tilted things in favor of the defending champions.
The Ravens are third in the Super Bowl odds at +900, with the Chiefs second at +600. The San Francisco 49ers now have the best odds to win the Super Bowl, at +500.
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