Newly-Signed Eagles WR Sends Clear Message on Playing With Jalen Hurts – heavy.com

The history between newly-signed Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and his new quarterback, Jalen Hurts, goes back further than you might imagine.
Appearing on the Speakeasy podcast with former NFL players LeSean McCoy and Emmanuel Acho on Tuesday night after signing with the Eagles earlier in the day, Brown pointed out he almost returned to Oklahoma for 1 more season in 2019 when he discovered Hurts was transferring from Alabama to play for the Sooners.
Brown also went out of his way to praise Hurts’ ability to throw the ball downfield — something that was very much missing from the Eagles offense in 2025.
“I personally feel like he’s one of the top vertical passers in the league,” Brown said. “His deep ball is great. … That’s attractive to a receiver. You know he’s putting it on the money. And on third down when it matters, money downs, he can make it happen however he’s gotta do it. It don’t matter how it looks, he’s gonna make it happen.”
Depending on what happens with a potential trade of NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown, Hollywood Brown’s 1-year, $6.5 million contract could end up being a steal after he had 49 receptions for 587 yards and 5 touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025.
If A.J. Brown gets traded, that makes DeVonta Smith hands-down the WR1 and likely pushes Hollywood Brown into a heavily-used WR2 role — a role he could thrive in.
The Eagles will be the 3rd team in 4 seasons for Brown, who spent the last 2 seasons with the Chiefs. He had his only 1,000-yard receiving season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
In 7 NFL seasons, Brown has 371 receptions for 4,322 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also has approximately $40 million in career earnings.
Before signing with the Eagles, Brown teased a reunion on the Ravens with 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“Free agent WR Marquise Brown teasing a potential return to the Ravens on his Instagram story,” JPA Football wrote on its official X account on Monday. “A few days earlier, Lamar Jackson made a joke about him coming back to Baltimore.”
Brown was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft and had the best years of his career catching passes from Jackson, including career highs of 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2021.
The Ravens capitalized on Brown’s 1,000-yard season in a big way when they traded a 3rd round pick and Brown to the Arizona Cardinals on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL draft in exchange for Arizona’s 1st round pick – a pick the Ravens eventually turned into 3-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who just signed a 4-year, $81 million free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 9.
It’s worth pointing out that Brown got his walking papers because he wouldn’t stop complaining about the offense.
“I asked them for a trade after the season,” Brown said following the trade. “It was just my happiness.”
The Ravens drafted a wide receiver in the 1st round in 2023 with Flowers, who has posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2024 and 2025 — 1 more than Hollywood Brown has for his entire career.
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Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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