Hollywood Brown walked into this season with an extra pep in his step. After sitting out most of the 2024 regular season owing to a shoulder injury that required surgery, the wide receiver didn’t just lose out on showing his mettle in his first year with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was also required to give up some lucrative incentives woven into his contract. Unfortunately, as the team’s run comes to an end amid playoff eliminations, Brown is set to miss out again.

The math is simple and brutal: Brown sits one touchdown away from a $750,000 bonus tied to six scores, per the New York Times. Meanwhile, three more touchdowns would have seen him unlock a clean $1 million reward for eight touchdowns. However, the catch is that there’s just one game remaining, a clash versus the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18.

So, unless Brown decides to channel his unstoppable self from Week 6 against the Detroit Lions, where he scored two touchdowns, it’s pretty much close to impossible, if not totally impossible. But at least there’s still a silver lining. Truth be told, a lot of it.

Earlier in the year, his fifth touchdown late in the Thanksgiving 31-28 loss against Dallas, quietly triggered a $500,000 payout. Currently at 523 receiving yards, the second-year Chiefs player also made himself $500,000, which will become $625,000 if he reaches 625 yards and $750,000 with 750 yards.

However, for a player whose average receiving yards currently sit at 34 (with his single-game most sitting at 73 yards vs the Buffalo Bills in Week 9 this season), a postseason exclusion means that dream remains untouched, too.

Additionally, two more touchdowns were also supposed to give him another $250,000. However, Brown is yet to pay a visit to the end zone since Week 13. In other words, a late-season surge could have flipped his contract incentives overnight.

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However, there is a catch that the Chiefs Nation cannot ignore.

Brown’s incentives also depend on playing time. He has logged 47 per cent of offensive snaps so far. That barely clears the 45 per cent bar needed for a separate $500,000 bonus. Still, reports suggest Reid may be pulling back. If that holds, Brown could miss out on the remaining $1M contract incentive.

However, as long as he remains healthy, that shouldn’t be a problem money-wise. However, murmurs say the wide receiver might also have other things to worry about next season.

Andy Reid might give up on Hollywood Brown

Set to become an unrestricted free agent next season, there have been concerns about Browns’ capacity as a player. He logged his highest snap share since Week 3 at 53.3 per cent vs the Tennessee Titans, while recording three-plus targets for the first time since Week 1. Yet the output fell flat. Brown averaged just 7.3 yards per catch on three receptions. That dip stood out, especially since he had cleared 10 yards per catch in each of his previous five games.

With the expectation for Brown to be a reliable presence, what instead happened was the player finishing with three receptions for 22 yards, nearly all of which came on one 18-yard reception.

No wonder folks like KC Kingdom’s Ernesta Cova theorize that the Chiefs might be ” better off trying to convince Thornton to stay, given that he did show some actual chemistry with Mahomes when given a chance”.

Even USA Today’s Nate Davis spelled it out in clear words: “Players like WR Hollywood Brown, S Bryan Cook, CB Jaylen Watson and maybe even Kelce – all of them pending free agents – could exit”.

Looks like Hollywood Brown has more than just money matters to worry about.