As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles prepare for the Super Bowl, we dig deep into the history and success of both proud franchises. The teams have long, rich winning traditions and no shortage of top-level players.
The Chiefs were the toast of the AFL before joining the National Football League in the 1970 merger and immediately were contenders. From the 1960s onward, KC has had several superstar talents, but we’ve narrowed down the list to the franchise’s top-ten best.
10. Priest Holmes, RB – Kansas City Chiefs (2001–07)
While his shine was short, Priest Holmes was the most dominant running back in the league for three glorious seasons in KC. Holmes led the NFL in rushing in 2001 with over 1,500 yards and hit above 2,100 yards from scrimmage.
The monster campaign made him the first undrafted free agent to lead the league on the ground since 1954.
Holmes wasn’t done, as his next two seasons were equally, if not better than, his ’01 showing. The then 29-year-old hit paydirt for a league-best 21 TD runs and surpassed his rushing total from a year earlier, going north of the 1,600-yard mark and leading the league in yards per carry.
All the man did in 2003 was set the then-NFL record with 27 touchdowns while amassing over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.
Injuries derailed Holmes, as we all know how short careers for workhorse running backs can be.
9. Tyreek Hill, WR, – Kansas City Chiefs (2016-21)
Maybe a bit of recency bias here, but Tyreek Hill has been vital to KC’s recent dominance. Interestingly enough, it might be the 2022 campaign that showed just how great Hill is, even though it was with the Miami Dolphins.
The 2016 fifth-round pick of the Chiefs went off for career-bests with 119 receptions and 1,710 receiving yards this year. He proved he could do it without Patrick Mahomes, while his former KC pivot proved he’s doing just fine in red and white.
That said, Hill made his mark all over the Chiefs’ record book before his move to Miami, sitting first on their all-time career list in yards per game (72.9) and fifth in total yards, playing in only 91 games. He also holds single-season records with 111 catches in 2021 and yards with 1,479 in 2018.
He’s the best Chiefs wideout of all-time, bar none.
8. Buck Buchanan, DT – Kansas City Chiefs (1963-75)
Buck Buchanan was a beast for some of the most dominant defenses the AFL has ever seen. The first African-American ever drafted with the number one pick (1963 Draft) used his speed and athleticism to intimidate opposing quarterbacks.
At 6’7″, he was much taller than most offensive linemen of his day, being a nightmare to be blocked. So at 270 pounds with ultra athleticism, he played havoc on quarterbacks’ throw time. In 1967 he batted down 16 passes using that impressive wing span.
By 1969, he anchored a ferocious front that took KC to their second Super Bowl title.
Buchanan made an almost immediate impact starting a run of six All-AFL and AFL All-Star appearances. Not only is his number retired by the organization, but he was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
7. Bobby Bell, LB – Kansas City Chiefs (1963–74)
Bobby Bell joined teammate Buck Buchanan out of that same 1963 NFL Draft. Bell would get his name called by KC 55 picks after they selected Buchanan with the first overall pick.
Starting as a defensive end in his career, Bell moved to linebacker after his first two years. It was from the LB position that his career really took off.
In 1966, he picked off a career-best (at that point) four passes on his way to his first All-Pro nod. Buck also got his first taste of the end zone that year, returning a pick for a score. By the time his career was done, he had become KC’s pick-six leader with six, a record that still stands today.
Buchanan spent all 13 seasons with the Chiefs before retiring as a Super Bowl champ, three-time Pro Bowler, and with a Defensive Player of the Year trophy.
Canton came calling for Big Buck in 1983.
6. Len Dawson, QB – Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1962-75)
To the offensive side of those dominant AFL teams, Len Dawson was the Patrick Mahomes of the swinging 60s and pre-disco 70s. Sure, he did not have the same playing style, but he was the face of the franchise’s offense.
Dawson holds franchise quarterback records in games started (158), games played (183), and wins (94).
Like Mahomes, Dawson also has a Super Bowl ring and SB MVP, to go along with being a three-time AFL Champion and AFL MVP award.
While his passing numbers can’t compare to Mahomes in this throw-heavy era, Dawson did lead the league in touchdown passes three times in KC and once in Dallas before the Texans became the Chiefs.
Until Mahomes came along, no KC quarterback had ever been a threat to challenge Dawson’s franchise records in passing yards (28,507) or touchdowns through the air (237).
After Dawson finished his career, he was not only an AFL All-Time Team member but was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
5. Emmitt Thomas, CB – Kansas City Chiefs (1967-78)
The third member of KC’s 1969 Super Bowl defense comes from the secondary. Emmitt Thomas stands alone as the best defensive back in team history.
ET led the league in interceptions twice over his football career. He picked off nine to lead the final season of existence in the AFL before leading the NFL with 12 in 1974.
When Thomas’s career wrapped up, he had the all-time franchise mark with 58 interceptions.
The five-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1986 before getting the call to Canton in 2008.
4. Travis Kelce, TE – Kansas City Chiefs (2013-present)
While Travis Kelce has been the league’s best tight end for a few years, a second Super Bowl win on Sunday would certainly raise his stock closer to our number three selection. Coming off just his ninth season in the league, Kelce has already been named to eight Pro Bowls and has four first-team All-Pro nods.
He set the NFL single-season record for most yards by a tight end (1,416) in 2020 and has led all league TEs in touchdown catches over the past three seasons.
The 33-year-old became the fastest tight end to hit 10,000 yards in NFL history this past season, and at just over 5,000 yards back of the next big Chief, if Kelce stays healthy, he should be able to swap spots.
3. Tony Gonzalez, TE – Kansas City Chiefs (1997-2008)
After being selected by KC with the 13th overall pick in the 1997 Draft, Tony Gonzalez suited up for 12 seasons with the red and white before finishing out his career with the Atlanta Falcons. Ten straight Pro Bowls, including his final season with the Chiefs in 2008, would follow.
Gonzalez re-wrote KC’s record book setting team career marks in catches, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and yards from scrimmage.
Not only is No. 88 the Chiefs’ all-time receiving yards leader, but he is also sixth on the NFL career leaderboard for yards through the air. The next tight end on that list doesn’t show up until number 20.
2. Derrick Thomas, DE – Kansas City Chiefs (1989-99)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better defensive end than Derrick Thomas, not only on the Chiefs but in all of football history. DT exploded out of Alabama when KC drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 1989.
He would go on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year after picking up 75 tackles, ten sacks, and three forced fumbles. Thomas’s sophomore set in the pros would be his most dominant season when he led the league with 20 sacks. In addition to his three forced fumbles that year, he also set the record for sacks in a game at seven.
When it was all said and done, Thomas was named to nine Pro Bowls by 1999, when his career was tragically cut short.
Two weeks after becoming a paraplegic following a violent vehicle accident, Thomas died in the hospital after being moved from a bed to a wheelchair. He passed on February 8, 2000, at just 33 years of age.
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB – Kansas City Chiefs (2017-present)
While Patrick Mahomes’s career has barely begun, he’s already risen to the ranks of the top pivots in the league. I certainly wouldn’t begrudge anyone for flipping Thomas and Mahomes, but the quarterback position wins out here for me.
Following his rookie season, where he started just started one game, Mahomes has reeled off five straight Pro Bowl nods and is among the discussion for top quarterback in the league every season.
The Texas Tech alum already tops the Chiefs’ all-time leaderboard with 303 yards per game and is second in touchdown passes with 192.
Mahomes will become KC’s all-time leader in passing yards if he can put up just over 4,200 next season. Since he’s averaged over 4,700 per over the past five, that record could fall by Week 16. Keep in mind, it took Len Dawson 183 games to get the franchise mark.
He already has an NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP trophy, and a second win in the big game on Sunday would put him on another level. Mahomes would become the first quarterback in Chiefs history to win a pair of Lombardi trophies.
Honourable Mentions: Christian Okoye, RB (1987-92), Johnny Robinson, RB/S (1960–71), Larry Johnson, RB (2003-09), Willie Lanier, LB (1967-77), Will Shields, G (1993-2006), Nick Lowery, K (1980-93), Neil Smith, DE (1988-96)
