Marquise Brown
Wide Receiver Marquise Brown #15 of the Baltimore Ravens trades jerseys with quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals after the Baltimore Ravens 23-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals at M&T Bank Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. Todd Olszewski/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • Marquise Brown reveals his reasons for parting ways with the Ravens
  • Brown was traded during the 2022 NFL draft
  • The Cardinals take on the Ravens on Sunday, August 21

The NFL preseason is in full swing as teams are making their final configurations ahead of the start of the 2022 season in mid-September, and that includes the Arizona Cardinals.

Last season, the Cardinals made the playoffs for the first time in six years thanks to the strong play of quarterback Kyler Murray, but he ran into the buzzsaw that was the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card and lost, 32-11.

With a full offseason to rework things, they made a splash during the draft by trading away their 23rd overall pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for wide receiver Marquise Brown and a third-round pick.

Brown acknowledged that his time with the Ravens was filled with great moments and making bonds, but he felt that it was time for him to move on for the sake of his career.

"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," he told the Cardinals' team website.

"It's about happiness."

"Hollywood" Brown was Eric DeCosta's first-ever pick as a general manager after succeeding Ozzie Newsome, selecting the Oklahoma Sooners receiver with the 25th overall pick in 2019.

Brown had his first 1,000-yard outing last season with a career-high in receptions (91) out of 146 targets while also bringing home six touchdowns for Charm City.

During his time in Baltimore, Brown had developed a close friendship with 2019 unanimous NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and revealed in late April how he decided to let Jackson know of his desire to move on from the franchise.

"You know, it's not really on Lamar, like I love Lamar. It was just, you know, it's just the system wasn't for me, personally. You know, I love all my teammates. I love the guys. But it was just something I had to think about for myself," Brown stated as per CBS Sports.

The trade shocked the NFL landscape as even though there were rumors of it potentially happening, few thought that the Ravens would part with their best receiver.

It would turn out to be the best move for both sides as Brown got his wish to play in a pass-heavy offense, while Baltimore selected Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum with the Cardinals' pick.

Based on Brown's comments, the adoration is still there for his former squad and it was purely a business decision on his end to move on.

Brown will be joining former Cincinnati Bengal A.J. Green and veteran Deandre Hopkins as Murray's primary downfield targets in the hopes of creating an offensive unit that is formidable enough for a deep playoff run.

Though "Hollywood" is not expected to suit up against the Ravens on Sunday, August 21 while recovering from a hamstring injury, Brown will be eagerly watching from the sidelines.

Marquise Brown
Marquise Brown #5 of the Baltimore Ravens makes a catch for a second quarter touchdown against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on October 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images