Marquise Brown’s departure from the Baltimore Ravens was one that came out of the blue, but this was not necessarily the case behind-the-scenes.

The Arizona Cardinals acquired Brown from the Ravens on Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Brown noted after the move was made public that he requested a trade from Baltimore, with one of the reasons being his dissatisfaction with his role in the team’s offense. He made clear that at the end of the day, "the system wasn't for me."

Many Ravens players had hoped to see Brown stay put, including Lamar Jackson.

"That's his decision," Jackson said during a press conference ahead of Week 8. "He has to feed his family at the end of the day, and if he believes it's the right decision for him, that's on him. It's not on me.

"It's not my decision to make. He would've still been here if it was up to me."

Brown’s sudden move away from Baltimore caught multiple Ravens players by surprise. Among them, Marlon Humphrey did not expect to see the Ravens ship off Jackson’s No. 1 target.

"So, it definitely did surprise me to trade away your No. 1 receiver like that, but it was very surprising," Humphrey said during a press conference ahead of Week 8. "I think we received good value for him, and I think he … It was a mutual thing. But when I found out it was mutual, it wasn't as surprising."

Brown is set to face off against the Ravens for the first time since his departure from the team. On Humphrey’s part, he is much looking forward to going up against his former teammate.

"Fast guy," Humphrey said. "… It will be exciting to matchup against him."

The Ravens will square off with the Cardinals from State Farm Stadium in Week 8.

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Key performance.