How Marquise Brown will approach Chiefs’ finale with contract incentives in reach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Marquise Brown can earn up to $625,000 Sunday via touchdown and receiving-yard bonuses.
- Brown signed a one-year deal and will become a free agent after the season.
- Kareem Hunt and George Karlaftis hold game incentives; a loss clinches a top-10 pick.
There is little national interest in Sunday’s Chiefs-Raiders game, but you’ll hear some intriguing storylines from a KC perspective.
First and foremost is whether this will be Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s final game, as his contract expires at season’s end.
And a loss actually would clinch a top-10 pick for the Chiefs in the NFL Draft this April.
And then there is this: Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown can make some big money, depending on his stats.
“I see it on the Internet,” Brown told me. “My friends joke around and send it to me, but for me, I try not to listen to everybody too much. Just go out there, just play, have fun and enjoy this last game.”
This season, Brown has 46 receptions for 523 yards and five touchdowns.
The latter already triggered a $500,000 performance bonus for Brown. That can increase to $750,000 if he catches a touchdown pass Sunday against the Raiders, according to incentives in his contract shared by Spotrac. If Brown has two touchdown receptions, that bonus would be $1 million, so an extra $500,000 is in reach.
Brown also got a $500,000 bonus for reaching 500 receiving yards this season. If Brown has 102 yards receiving Sunday, his season total would be 625 yards, and that bonus would increase to $625,000. That’s a $125,000 bump.
Add those two potential bonuses and that’s $625,000 that Brown could earn Sunday against the Raiders.
You may recall defensive lineman Chris Jones’ giddy reaction when he got a sack against the Chargers in the 2023 season finale, triggering a $1.25 million bonus.
Brown won’t be thinking about his own potential windfall at Allegiant Stadium this weekend.
“You can’t control it, so if you get to press in on it, or think about it, you don’t want nothing to take away from just focusing on that play,” he said.
Brown’s friends, however, are sure to keep an eye on his progress.
“I remember one time, I think we were playing the Titans, and I caught a pass and got out of bounds before half and one of my friends was like, ‘For a guy that could get something for a touchdown, you’re not running hard enough,’” Brown recalled. “But we just crack jokes with each other all the time. So I know if they were in my shoes, I’d probably be doing the same thing to them, for sure.”
Brown signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs last March, so he is set to be a free agent after the season. Brown is open to returning to the team for the 2026 season, but he’s been trying to stay in the moment.
“You never know what can happen in this business,” he said. “So I told myself the last few weeks, just enjoy being around the guys, being around the coaches, being around the building. You never know how many opportunities you get to play football in general.
“So not listening to the outside and really just appreciating being here and appreciate being on the field, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Other notable Chiefs incentives
Brown isn’t the only Chiefs player who can make some extra money Sunday.
Running back Kareem Hunt has 719 yards from scrimmage this season. His contract includes a $25,000 bonus if reaches 750 yards from scrimmage, according to Spotrac.
And defensive lineman George Karlaftis has six sacks this season. He stands to make $250,000 if he records eight sacks. It would go to $500,000 if he reaches nine.
The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed to this story.
This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 9:55 AM.
