Chiefs Roster: Hollywood Brown is ready for another shot in Kansas City

Expectations were high after veteran wide receiver Hollywood Brown joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.

Throughout the offseason (and the early parts of training camp), Brown and quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to be building a special connection that fans eagerly anticipated seeing on the field. Unfortunately, the first taste of the pairing didn’t end well.

In the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes completed an 11-yard pass to Brown on the offense’s first snap. But on Montaric Brown’s tackle, the wideout suffered a sternoclavicular joint injury that ultimately required surgery. He didn’t make his regular-season debut until Week 16.

Brown now acknowledges that after missing most of the season, he couldn’t really get going.

“It was tough,” he told reporters on Thursday after signing a one-year contract to remain with Kansas City. “But I tried not to think about it because I was just so happy to be there and — in whatever way I [could] — help. Of course, it was tough getting cleared and going from doing nothing to practicing — and then the next week playing. It was tough, but you’ve got guys around that rally everyone — and I’m a pro.

“I studied and got myself ready to go to help the team. [I’m] just excited to now be back in the offseason, really training my body to prepare to be even better than I was.”

While Brown knows he couldn’t truly prove himself last season, he believes the team’s decision-makers know they can count on him.

“The people in the building — my teammates [and] my coaches? [They] carried me a long way,” he recalled. “They know the type of guy I am. They know the type of work I put in. Essentially, that’s one of the reasons I got brought back.

“The few games I played, I was there. I was able to open things up for the offense a lot, but wasn’t really involved that much. I know the impression that I left… I want to show the whole Chiefs Kingdom what I can do.”

Brown’s injury was not the only setback that Kansas City’s wide receiver group suffered in 2024. After a scorching hot start, Rashee Rice was lost to a knee injury. Of the expected starters, rookie Xavier Worthy was the only one who dressed for all 17 games. After being released from the New England Patriots, veteran wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster was brought back to fortify what had been expected to be a top-tier group.

With Smith-Schuster also back on a one-year deal, the Chiefs will try again in 2025. Brown believes he and his teammates will rise to the occasion.

“The sky’s the limit,” he declared. “We talk all the time about history and the team we’re on — the team history, our history as a group, our history as individual players. That stuff we speak on, that’s stuff we’re striving for through the offseason. Through our training, we’re trying to push each other to be the best. Ultimately, I feel like we could do something that’s never been done before.”

One of their new teammates has a unique perspective. Former Tennessee Titans (and Los Angeles Chargers) cornerback Kristian Fulton — who signed with the Chiefs last week — has plenty of experience with Kansas City’s pass-catchers.

“It’s a really diverse group,” Fulton told the media on Thursday. “They all have different skillsets — and they all have something that stands out in their game. They’ve made plays in this league. Obviously, Xavier was a rookie last year. We’ve seen what he can do in this league. He can take the top off a defense. He can also run away from you on shorter routes and run across the field.

“Rashee Rice? He’s a pretty much a do-it-all receiver. He can take it deep or he can also run different short routes. They all have different skill sets, I believe. I think you need that in the receiving room. You can’t just have a one-trick pony receiving room where you know one guy is doing a certain thing.”

But Fulton realizes it all begins with head coach Andy Reid.

“Obviously, Coach Reid, he does a great job scheming defense up and getting those guys the ball,” he added. “Juju as well and Hollywood as well — they’ve [both] had a long career in this league getting the ball different ways and making plays.”