Hollywood Brown on Ravens: 'They Really Didn't Need Me'
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Hollywood Brown made it clear that he was not always happy about his time with the Ravens.
He sometimes went on social media to complain about his role in the offense.
The Ravens eventually granted Brown's request for a trade this offseason and he landed with the Arizona Cardinals.
It seems to be a better fit for him.
"It's about happiness," Brown told the Cardinals' website. "I want to feel like I am a part of something to win. At the Ravens, I just felt like sometimes they really didn't need me. Regardless if I was there or not, they were going to win games. I love the game too much. I want to be involved."
The Ravens selected Brown with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 draft from Oklahoma.
As a rookie with the Ravens, Brown caught 46 passes for 584 yards with seven touchdowns despite being hampered by a foot injury.
The following year, he caught 58 passes for 769 yards with eight scores.
Following a 28-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, Brown tweeted “What’s the point of having souljas when you never use them (Never!!)."
He later deleted the Tweet, but questions linger about Baltimore's passing attack.
In 2021, Brown and tight end Mark Andrews each eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards. It was just the second Ravens tandem to reach the 1,000-yard mark in the same season, joining Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander who accomplished that feat in 1996.
However, Brown again expressed frustration with his role in the offense several times.
The Ravens traded Brown and the 100th pick — third round, compensatory — in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Cardinals in exchange for the 23rd overall pick. Baltimore took Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum with that selection.
Brown was quarterback Lamar Jackson's best friend on the team and his favorite target at wide receiver. The Ravens did reach out to Jackson before the trade.
“Actually, Coach [Harbaugh] called me," Jackson said. "It was after a workout, and I was like, ‘OK,’ [and] I’m just listening to him. But he was like, ‘We’re thinking about trading him’ and stuff like that, but I didn’t buy into it. It was just conversation, and when it actually happened, I was like, ‘What the …’ But it’s all good. It’s part of the business.
"I was kind of hurt, because that’s my boy. But it’s all good ... it’s part of the business.”
Rashod Bateman is the Ravens' No. 1 wide receiver this season. Baltimore also has several other wideouts with potential, including Devon Duvernay, James Proche, and Tylan Wallace.
