Jason Brownlee might have been hoping for new heights in a new environment. As it turns out, his ceiling with the Kansas City Chiefs stopped at the same place it did on his last stop.
The Chiefs announced the release of Brownlee—a likely candidate to end up back on the practice squad—on Monday with Week 7 coming into view. The move was a necessary one to make room for wide receiver Rashee Rice, who is returning following a six-game suspension to start the season. The Chiefs are glad for the move given Rice's offensive importance, but Brownlee's end of the deal is also worth noting.
[Brownlee joined the Chiefs](https://arrowheadaddict.com/chiefs-add-former-jets-wide-receiver-to-practice-squad-release-veteran-tight-end-01jhnnyambhy) during the team's postseason run at a (failed) historic three-peat. A reserve/futures signing at the time, Brownlee decided to change teams instead of remaining with the New York Jets in the hopes of finding a stronger foothold on a team's active roster.
Jason Brownlee might want to find a new home if he's only going to be an emergency option for KC after his release.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Jets had an interesting relationship with Brownlee in his first two seasons in the National Football League. Signed as a high-upside undrafted free agent in 2023, the Jets gave him a robust $216K in guaranteed money to sign, and the former Southern Miss star immediately went to work impressing coaches.
A lengthy, physical receiving prospect, Brownlee made waves in consecutive preseason campaigns with the Jets, forcing tough personnel decisions when it was time to make active roster cuts. Brownlee was one of two UDFAs to make the roster in his rookie season, and he went on to appear in a handful of games—though he was used sparingly on offense. After failing to do so again in his second season, Brownlee decided to leave for the Chiefs despite ongoing interest from the Jets organization.
[Brownlee repeated the same script](https://arrowheadaddict.com/chiefs-newcomer-makes-instant-impact-with-mahomes-in-preseason-debut-01k28n4tggjv) with Kansas City with a glowing preseason performance that made it impossible to cut him. That worked well for a Chiefs team that was already down Rice, and when Xavier Worthy was injured in Week 1, the move looked even more prescient.
However, Brownlee never carved out a trusted role with Patrick Mahomes in the Chiefs' offense despite the clear need for someone to step up in the first couple of games to start a new season. Tyquan Thornton was able to emerge from the pack and Brownlee was relegated to only 21 offensive snaps in five games played before his release.
The Chiefs clearly like Brownlee, and it would serve them well to keep him around on the practice squad. But if he's stuck in another in-case-of-emergency role in K.C., Brownlee might find himself searching for a thinner place to call home.