The Kansas City Chiefs' offense needed a bit of a reset after averaging 21.3 points per game during the 2025 campaign.
Even before Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL tear, the unit was bland and unable to deliver when the game mattered most. A piece of this was injuries to the receiver position and veterans who didn't live up to expectations. This included veteran receiver Hollywood Brown, who offered a respectable 587 receiving yards and five touchdowns, but still isn't the presence KC fans hope is retained.
Brown is scheduled to hit free agency and is safely in the camp of players fans would like to see depart to a new landing spot. Brown's numbers don't tell the story of a frustrating season that offered inconsistent production and exposed the fact that the pass catcher is an undersized target. Already, the Chiefs have a slightly built receiver in Xavier Worthy, who is a serious speed threat and offers an option for gadget plays.
This, in and of itself, lessens Brown's potential value and points to the need for the two sides to part ways. According to Over The Cap, the Chiefs have limited cap space, negative -$54.9 million in projected space to be exact. Every penny will have to be carefully spent, and this should help set up another team to take Brown away from a franchise that so clearly needs to move in another direction.
Chiefs Fans Can't Help but Hope for Hollywood Brown's Offseason Exit
Brown's production might look solid on paper, but KC fans know just how much of that was simply due to Mahomes' greatness. The quarterback elevates his playmakers and has been asked to shoulder a heavy load over the past two seasons. Now, the Chiefs have a chance to remedy this and take a bit of pressure off Mahomes as the quarterback continues to rehab from an ACL tear.
Parting ways with Brown would be a step in that direction, as the undersized receiver has not offered enough separation, in addition to his limited production after the catch. Kansas City needs to rebuild its receiver room to fully transform this offense, meaning allowing another team to step in and take Brown in free agency.
Considering KC's recent tendency to stick with failing pieces, fans can only hope that either the franchise is outbid for the receiver or that decision-making when it comes to retaining aging players changes. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a great example of this, brought back for the 2025 season and offering nothing. This was when it was beyond clear that Kansas City needed to add proven depth to the position, yet it opted to bring back Brown and Smith-Schuster, expecting Mahomes to work his magic.
This cannot be the outlook 2026 provides, and that has been reflected in the team's meaningful coaching changes. Fans can only hope this signals what is ahead for players as well, allowing Brown to walk away in free agency, setting up the Chiefs to make needed upgrades.