Chiefs GM: We're 'lucky' to have Marquise Brown in 2024
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is happy his team was able to add Marquise Brown this offseason to address a major area of concern.
"Like every year, whether it's free agency or the draft, if there's an opportunity to add a playmaker for Pat (Mahomes), we're always going to be looking for those options," Veach said Friday, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "(We) played it out, so to speak, at some other positions. I think we were lucky that Hollywood's situation played out the way it did."
Brown, who signed a one-year deal worth up to $11 million in March, figures to be a great fit in a Kansas City offense that struggled at wide receiver for most of last year. Although he failed to take the Arizona Cardinals' offense to the next level while battling injuries across the last two seasons, he recorded 91 catches and 1,008 yards as a Baltimore Raven in 2021.
Brown suggested last month that he received more lucrative offers but couldn't pass on the opportunity to play for Mahomes and Co.
"He's going to be a great one-year addition for us, and he's going to set himself up nicely moving forward," Veach added. "I think we're excited, and like I said, every year is different and unique. I think with the resources we had available, we maximized what we can do this offseason."
Brown, a former first-round pick of the Ravens, was traded to Arizona in 2022. He caught 118 passes for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns across 26 appearances with the Cardinals.
Kansas City led the NFL in dropped passes during the 2023 season. However, led by wideout Rashee Rice and tight end Travis Kelce, the team's receiving corps stepped up in the playoffs to help K.C. win its second straight Super Bowl.
Kelce led the Chiefs with 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
Rice caught a team-high seven TDs to go along with 938 yards. However, the second-year receiver's future is uncertain following his arrest on eight felony charges stemming from a multi-car crash in Dallas in late March.