According to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown has re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite an injury-plagued 2024 campaign that saw Brown make only two regular-season appearances, the Chiefs have secured the services of the former first-round pick with a one-year deal that is worth up to $11 million. In those two games, Brown hauled in nine receptions for 91 yards and had 15 targets. He saw 13 targets across three playoff games but only secured five of them for 50 yards.
Kansas City’s decision to bring back Marquise Brown looks even more critical given the uncertainty surrounding Rashee Rice’s availability next season and the evolving off-field situation involving rookie Xavier Worthy that occurred on Friday evening. If either were to miss significant time, Brown’s presence would provide much-needed stability alongside Travis Kelce.
The big question heading into 2025 is how Brown will fit in Kansas City’s offense. Will he remain a deep-threat option, or will his role shift to better complement the dink-and-dunk approach the Chiefs have leaned on over the past two seasons? Let’s take a look at the winners and losers of this deal.
Winners of the Marquise Brown Signing
Patrick Mahomes: QB – Kansas City Chiefs
In 2024, Patrick Mahomes threw for under 4,000 yards for the first time in his career. He also posted career lows in touchdowns (26) and yards per attempt (6.8) while having career highs in sacks (36). Does this mean that Mahomes is washed? Certainly not, but the lack of pass-catching options greatly impacted the fantasy value of arguably the best quarterback in the league.
Having multiple home run hitters in Brown and Worthy will provide Mahomes more opportunities to air it out. In 2024, he ranked 17th in deep ball attempts after finishing 11th or better in every season before that he has been a starter. Despite an improved WR corps in 2025, I believe that Mahomes is being over-drafted as QB6 in Underdog best ball drafts. The Chiefs’ defense is so dominant that Mahomes simply doesn’t have to carry as much of the offensive load as he once did, and Brown doesn’t move the needle enough for me at that price point.
Isiah Pacheco: RB – Kansas City Chiefs
Between you and me, I don’t think that Isiah Pacheco will retain his spot atop the depth chart in 2025, but at the time of this article, he’s the number one guy, so he gets to reap the benefits for now. Pacheco’s percentage of carries against light fronts (6 or fewer defenders in the box) increased from 48.3% in 2023 to 61.4% in 2024. Despite this, his yards per carry took an absolute nosedive dropping from 4.6 in 2023 to 3.7 in 2024. With the NFL’s emphasis on the two-high safety look to prevent guys like Patrick Mahomes from beating them deep, running backs will continue to experience lighter boxes at an increased rate. At RB30, in Underdog best ball drafts, Pacheco (or whoever the starter may be at a similar ADP) feels like a smash even if he doesn’t fully return to his 2023 form.
Chris Godwin: WR – Free Agent
If injury-riddled Hollywood Brown can receive back-to-back contracts for 11 million dollars despite only hitting 1,000 yards once in his career, Chris Godwin better sstartsbacking up the Brink’s trucks. Since the Bengals franchise-tagged Tee Higgins, Godwin has emerged as the top WR free agent option this offseason. Gruesome ankle injury aside, a perceived weak WR draft class puts Godwin in the driver’s seat for securing one last major payday before he hits the dreaded age of 30. Brown’s contract is an indicator that Godwin will command at minimum his 2024 base salary of $20 million and will likely see more thrown his way.
Losers of the Marquise Brown Signing
Rashee Rice: WR – Kansas City Chiefs
Let me be clear: Suspension aside, I still believe Rashee Rice is the pass catcher to own in Kansas City moving forward even with Marquise Brown re-signing. However, Kansas City utilized both Rice and Brown in the slot at over a 40% rate. This could have been a result of the Rice injury, forcing Brown to fill a vacant role, as his slot snap percentage in Kansas City doubled what it was in Arizona and Baltimore. However, if Andy Reid rotates Rice and Brown in the slot rather than allowing Rice to reprise the role that had him on a tear in 2024, it could result in disappointment to those drafting Rice at his current ADP of 49.2 (WR27) in Underdog best ball drafts.
Travis Kelce: TE – Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce didn’t receive more than 5 targets in a game until Rashee Rice suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 of the 2024 season. He also played second fiddle to Xavier Worthy as Worthy’s role increased late into the season and the playoffs. Furthermore, we watched Marquise Brown immediately command 7.5 targets per game in his late-season return. Despite “aiming to be in the best shape of his life” this coming season, all signs point to Kelce no longer being the primary focal point of the Chiefs offense. The fantasy community has already embraced this notion, as drafters are selecting the future Hall of Famer as TE10 in Underdog best-ball drafts. At least you still have a billionaire girlfriend, bub.
So do you think was the biggest winner and loser of the Marquise Brown signing?
Let us know who YOU think is the biggest winner and loser over at The Fantasy Advice Network.
Find More Football Articles HERE!!
