One of the biggest trades of the NFL draft’s first round Thursday was the Cardinals’ acquiring Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from the Ravens for pick No. 23.
After the trade, Brown explained what happened on the I Am Athlete podcast. First, he said he quietly asked for a trade after not believing he was a good fit in his offense.
Once it became clear he was going to be traded, Brown said multiple teams were involved. Arizona ultimately put together the best offer, but Brown mentioned two other playoff teams were also aggressive in his pursuit.
“I told them I would like to go to the Cardinals,” said Brown, who is now under contract until 2023 after Arizona reportedly exercised his fifth-year option. “The Chiefs and Packers made a play towards the end, and the Cardinals came through and came and got me.”
Both Kansas City and Green Bay are trying to replace their top wide receivers who left in the offseason. The Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, and so far have added wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Packers, meanwhile, sent Davante Adams to the Raiders, but haven’t been as aggressive in adding to their receiver room, signing only Sammy Watkins in free agency.
Instead, Brown becomes Arizona’s No. 2 wide receiver next to DeAndre Hopkins, replacing Christian Kirk, who signed with the Jaguars. Additionally, Brown reunites with former Oklahoma teammate Kyler Murray, which has seemed to please both individuals.
