Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been speaking about the contract situation surrounding wide receiver Marquise âHollywoodâ Brown.
New contracts seem to be the flavour of the month around the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, as they are also having to spend a lot of time dealing with talks about franchise quarterback Kyler Murray and the problems that entails.
Marquise Brown is only a recent addition to the Arizona Cardinals organisation, as he was acquired on draft night after they traded away a first-round pick for the receiver in a move with the Baltimore Ravens.
It was a move that proved to be a very important one for the Redbirds, as news emerged after the draft that star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would be suspended for their first six games of the season after violating the leagueâs performance-enhancing drugs policy.
The perfect stop-gap
Whilst not in the same league as Hopkins, Brown certainly brings plenty to the Cardinals offense, as the numbers from his time in Baltimore can testify.
In his first three years in the league heâs put up 2,361 receiving yards including his first 1,000-yard season last year, has scored 21 touchdowns and has only dropped 15 of the 317 passes that have been thrown his way.
And whilst he might be asked to carry the load whilst Hopkins is out, when he returns, you could make the argument that the Cardinals have one of the best one-two punches in the league when it comes to wide receivers, something that will make quarterback Murray very happy.
But if Kliff Kingsbury has anything to say about it, Brownâs impact is going to be felt long after this upcoming season.
Around for the long-haul?
Brown is currently under contract for both this season and 2023, but Kingsbury wants him to be part of the offense for years to come. As quoted by Yahoo Sports, Kingsbury plans to make him the heir-apparent to Hopkins and someone that can take the franchise forward:
âI think once we get to training camp and Hollywood gets comfortable in our system and isnât thinking as much, I think itâs really going to take off.âYeah, weâd love to get it done. Hollywood is a guy that we see as a long-term answer.â
Just where theyâre going to find the money from when and if they pay Murray, weâll just have to wait and see, but if he can recreate the form that he showed in Baltimore, then you can guarantee it is going to be worth every penny.