The team, according to Teicher, had no intention of letting Brown explore free agency this spring. After missing much of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury he sustained in the preseason, Brown, entering his age-28 season, re-signed with the Chiefs on a one year deal worth $11 million. Kansas City coaches and players have been effusive with their praise of Brown, who had nine catches on 15 targets over two regular season games in 2024. “What impressed me so much about Hollywood is that everybody told me he was a fast guy but not everyone told me how much he can actually do on the football field and you could see it,” Patrick Mahomes said. “He can run those over-the-middle routes. He can run really good routes and he can run deep. It’s not like fast is the only thing that he can do.” Brown will join Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice in three-wideout sets in 2025. KC’s offense used three receivers on about half of its offensive snaps last season.

Hollywood returns to the Chiefs after appearing in just two regular season contests following a pre-season injury. The once-stalwart Chiefs have dealt with numerous off-the-field issues at wide receiver the previous two off-seasons, with the most recent being second-year wide receiver Xavier Worthy’s arrest on Saturday. Brown’s speed and veteran status bring an inkling of stability to a pass-catching corps seemingly in continuous turmoil in recent history. Brown averaged 66% of the team’s offensive snaps in his two playoff appearances last season.

Signed to a one-year deal in the hopes that he’d help them lift coverages on the outside, Brown instead suffered a shoulder injury in his first preseason game that sidelined him until Week 16. He finished the year with a 9/91/0 receiving line, and was targeted just 13 times in three playoff games. Brown will probably be in line for another one-year deal this offseason as he enters his age-28 campaign. With Rashee Rice’s return from injury, a Rice-Brown-Xavier Worthy receiving trio would likely be a step ahead of anything the Chiefs have done at receiver since they traded Tyreek Hill.

Playing on a one-year deal, Hollywood’s season debut was delayed until Week 16 following a training camp shoulder injury that ended up requiring surgery following a failed attempt at rest and rehab. Limited to 15/91 across two regular season appearances, Brown’s production fell off a cliff during the postseason despite increased snap counts. With everything on the line, Brown was not a point of emphasis in the Chiefs’ stubbornly-conservative attack. Now heading back to free agency ahead of his age-28 campaign following an injury-washed season, Brown is at something of a career crossroads. The Chiefs could opt to move on and completely rebuild their troublesome receiver corps.