For one reason or another, the Kansas City Chiefs can't shake their infatuation with Jason Brownlee's potential, signing the wideout to a reserve/futures deal on Monday despite releasing him earlier in the 2025 season.
Brownlee was once seen as a guy who couldn't break the glass ceiling in Kansas City, but now looks like the odd man out after totaling just 26 snaps on offense in 2025. While there's no guarantee Brownlee won't fall into the same role in training camp and end up back on the free agent scrap heap by the end of the summer, it is significant that he's getting another chance with the Chiefs. Taking things a step further, Kansas City's front office making such a quick decision on Brownlee is telling.
The cherry on top? Brownlee was brought back into the fold after Eric Bieniemy was named the new offensive coordinator and Chad O'Shea was hired as the new WR coach, the former replacing Matt Nagy and the latter replacing Connor Embree.
For there to be trust in Brownlee despite an organizational shakeup means Andy Reid has faith in him. Given what Brownlee showed in the preseason with Patrick Mahomes, catching a touchdown in KC's preseason opener last August and developing a good rapport during training camp, it's understandable. Not to mention his cosplaying of Nico Collins, Keon Coleman, and A.J. Brown on the scout team en route to a Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jason Brownlee Made a Career Out of Second Chances
Brownlee's had many chances with the Chiefs, having been released for various reasons and re-hired because Reid couldn't resist him. With more established names like Hollywood Brown, seemingly having one foot already out the door, it cannot be understated how noteworthy it is that Brownlee, of all people, is sticking around, at least for now.
As an undrafted free agent in 2023, from the unheralded Southern Miss Eagles in the Sun Belt, Brownlee was an underdog coming into the league before proving himself on a 2023 New York Jets squad that lost Aaron Rodgers on its first drive of the season and featured a cast of quarterbacks, including Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian.
Before all of that, though, Brownlee reestablished his name as a prospect at Last Chance U, East Mississippi Community College, fighting for his football career after a strong career at West Point High School in Mississippi's Class 5A.
Should Brownlee become a rotation regular in Kansas City, he will have done so after yet another long battle to prove himself. He's already outlasted many UDFAs, playing for two teams in four seasons. But there's every reason to think he'll eventually do the unthinkable and become a big-time target for Mahomes in KC, given his current trajectory.
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