The Kansas City Chiefs saw another veteran walk in the latest NFL free agency news, as wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown agreed to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the news on March 17, stating: “Breaking: The Eagles are signing former Chiefs WR Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown to a 1-year, deal worth up to $6.5M, multiple sources tell me.”
Schultz added that “the explosive Brown had 49 catches for 587 yards and 5 TDs last season.”
It was definitely a bounce-back campaign for Brown, following his injury-ruined first year in Kansas City. But he still never quite lived up to expectations.
The Chiefs hoped the trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Brown, not to mention superstar tight end Travis Kelce, would form a borderline unstoppable group of playmakers. However, even when all four were on the field together — which wasn’t very often — they were never really as explosive as imagined.
As for Brown, the former 2019 first-round pick has been chasing his lone 1,000-yard season for going on four seasons. In 2026, he’ll be five years removed from the 2021 breakout campaign with the Baltimore Ravens.
Chiefs’ WR Need Just Got Larger After Hollywood Brown Free Agency News
GettyFormer Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (left) with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (right) in 2025.
Although Brown isn’t the star he once was, losing him still hurts. There’s no sugarcoating it; the Chiefs’ WR corps is in a bad place at the moment.
Rice is a very talented player, but even his biggest fans would admit that his availability issues are concerning.
Then you have Worthy, who has been an extremely disappointing first-round selection so far, and big-play threat Tyquan Thornton, who just re-signed in free agency.
Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster were the proven veteran depth behind those three, and one of them just walked. The other, Smith-Schuster, is currently a free agent.
Yes, the Chiefs have an interesting young player in Jalen Royals, who practically redshirted his rookie season, but you can’t just blindly count on him taking the next step in his development.
To make matters worse, the free agent market is drying up quickly at the position. Several over-the-hill playmakers are still out there, but the rising WR talent has been snatched up, for the most part.
A 28-year-old like Jauan Jennings stands out as one of the best pass-catchers left in free agency. Beyond that, KC will likely monitor an injured buy-low candidate like Tyreek Hill, while also looking to the 2026 NFL Draft for younger talent.
Chiefs Could Solve WR Problem With Top-10 Draft Pick
It’s not rocket science. The easiest way to attack the wide receiver issue is with another first-round pick.
The difference is that this time, the Chiefs are picking in the top 10.
It’s much easier to miss on a rookie wideout at the end of round one than it is at No. 9 overall. And this 2026 draft class has at least three wide receivers who project as potential stars at the next level.
Those players are Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, USC’s Makai Lemon, and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.
Chances are, one of those three will be on the board at No. 9, and there’s another scenario where KC has its pick of the litter. Teamed with Rice, Worthy, Thornton and Royals, a prospect of this magnitude could actually provide the offensive impact that the Chiefs dreamt up when they first signed Brown.
Chiefs Lose Former 1,000-Yard WR to Recent Super Bowl Rival in Free Agency