Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown says Ravens ‘didn’t really need me’

The Baltimore Ravens are set to face the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday for preseason Week 2. While he may not play in the upcoming game, the Ravens will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline in wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Baltimore traded Brown and the No. 100 overall pick to Arizona during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick.

Brown was drafted with the No. 25 overall pick out of Oklahoma by the Ravens in 2019 — the first-ever draft pick for General Manager Eric DeCosta. Brown quickly developed a strong connection with quarterback Lamar Jackson and became the first wide receiver to cross 1,000 receiving yards in a season for Baltimore since Mike Wallace in 2016.

Brown has since been outspoken about his desire to leave the Ravens. Following practice on Wednesday, Brown once again addressed the need to leave Baltimore.

“Yeah, it’s about happiness,” Brown said. “I mean, I want to feel like I’m a part of something to win. At the Ravens, I just felt like sometimes, they really didn’t need me, like, regardless if I was there or not, they’re going to win games, and you know, I love the game too much. I want to be involved.”

Brown also clarified how he felt about his time with the Ravens earlier in the press conference.

“People get it wrong. I loved being at the Ravens,” Brown said to azcardinals.com’s Darren Urban. “What I stand for on the football field is what they stand for.”

Brown now reunites with his college quarterback and best friend Kyler Murray and is in line for a critical role to start the season while wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins serves a six-week suspension.

Through his three seasons in Baltimore, Brown caught 195 passes for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns.