The Kansas City Chiefs have a rich football history and have recently dominated the NFL. Over the years, the team has seen several Hall of Famers where a Chiefs uniform. Who is the best player ever to play for the Kansas City Chiefs? Let’s look at the top 10.
Honorable Mention
The Chiefs have so many Hall of Fame players in their franchise history that we couldn’t resist an honorable mention section for a couple of Chiefs’ greats who aren’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jamaal Charles – RB
Years with Chiefs: 2008-16
Jamaal Charles is one of the best running backs in Chiefs history, and he had a particularly great stretch from 2010-13 in which he was an All-Pro three times (Two First Teams) and made three Pro Bowls. This includes the 2011 season when he played just two games and missed the rest with a torn ACL.
Charles had 7,260 yards with the Chiefs and is the franchise leader in rushing yards. He had five seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards and scored 63 touchdowns (40 rushing) in a Kansas City uniform.
Priest Holmes – RB
Years with Chiefs: 2001-07
Not many running backs in recent memory had a three-year stretch quite like Priest Holmes. After joining the Chiefs in 2001 from the Ravens, Holmes was a First-Team All-Pro from 2001-03. During that span, he averaged 1,530 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns per season. He scored an NFL record 27 touchdowns in 2003. We saw Sean Alexander (28 in 2005) and LaDainian Tomlinson (31 in 2006) break that record a few years later.
Holmes was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2002 and racked up over 6,000 rushing yards in his seven seasons in KC. Injuries took their toll after 2003, as we saw Holmes play 8 games in 2004, 7 games in 2005, and miss the entire season in 2006 with a spine injury.
10. Emmitt Thomas – DB
Years with Chiefs: 1966-78
Emmitt Thomas is the best defensive back in franchise history, as he had 58 interceptions over a Hall of Fame career that spanned 13 years. Thomas had a league-leading 12 interceptions in 1974 as well as 9 to top the league in 1959. Also, he returned five interceptions for touchdowns in his fantastic career. He was a First-Team All-Pro in 1975 and landed on the Second Team in 1975.
Thomas played in 181 games and had at least five interceptions in a season five times. He was part of the talented Kansas City defense that helped win Super Bowl IV.
9. Buck Buchanan – DT
Years with Chiefs: 1963-75
Buck Buchanan played 182 games over 13 years with the Chiefs and started every single game of the regular season from 1964-73. Buchanan was a beast from 1966-69 as he was named First-Team All-Pro four straight years. He made eight Pro Bowls and helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl to conclude the 1969 season. Also, he was a two-time AFL Champion.
8. Willie Lanier – LB
Years with Chiefs: 1967-77
Will Lanier had a Hall of Fame career with the Chiefs that saw the linebacker win a Super Bowl and AFL Championship. Lanier was a four-time All-Pro (Three first teams) and made eight Pro Bowls in Kansas City. Lanier finished his career with 27 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries. He started 149 games and made the Pro Bowl every season from 1968-75.
7. Bobby Bell – LB
Years with Chiefs: 1963-74
A teammate of Lanier’s, Bobby Bell, was an incredible linebacker who was part of a stout Kansas City Chiefs defense that helped the team win Super Bowl IV by a score of 23-7 over the Minnesota Vikings. Bell never missed a game in his 12-year career and started as a defensive end for the first two years of his career.
From 1965-70, Bell was a First-Team All-Pro selection each year, and he made nine straight Pro Bowls from 1964-72. He finished his career with 40 sacks, 26 interceptions, and 9 fumble recoveries.
6. Len Dawson – QB
Years with Chiefs: 1963-75
Len Dawson spent 19 years in the NFL, and 14 of those came with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Hall of Fame quarterback earned six Pro Bowl nods in KC and was First-Team All-Pro in 1966 when he threw 26 touchdown passes while leading the Chiefs to an 11-2-1 record. The Chiefs lost Super Bowl I to the Packers that year, but Dawson led the team back in Super Bowl IV and won the game’s MVP.
Dawson threw 237 touchdown passes for the Chiefs and passed for 28,507 yards.
5. Will Shields – G
Years with Chiefs: 1993-2006
Will Shields was a consistent force at offensive guard for 14 years for the Chiefs on his way to the Hall of Fame. He made 12 Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro selection twice. Shields landed on the Second Team four times in his stellar career. He earned a spot on the 2000s Hall of Fame Team, and he was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2003.
Shields was insanely durable as he started 223 of 224 games in his career and never missed a game. He’s one of the greatest guards of all time.
4. Derrick Thomas – OLB
Years with Chiefs: 1989-99
Derrick Thomas was an absolute beast off the edge for the Chiefs from his first game in a Kansas City uniform. Thomas was the Defensive Rookie of the Year after collecting 10.0 sacks in 1989. He followed that up with 20.0 sacks and a First-Team All-Pro selection. He was a first-teamer again in 1991 with 13.5 sacks. In his career, Thomas was also a three-time Second-Team All-Pro selection.
Thomas had 126.5 sacks in his career as he averaged 11.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 83 total tackles per season. He earned nine-straight Pro Bowl nods to start his career and found his way into the Hall of Fame. Thomas was on the 1990s Hall of Fame team, too.
3. Travis Kelce – TE
Years with Chiefs: 2013-Present
The Chiefs have arguably the two greatest tight ends ever to play the game, and they take up the next two spots on our list. First, we have Travis Kelce, who has enjoyed an insanely successful career. Kelce has earned a spot as a First-Team All-Pro four times and landed on the Second Team three times. He has won three Super Bowls and had at least 1,000 receiving yards in each season from 2016-22.
He has made the Pro Bowl for the last 10 seasons, and he has 12,151 receiving yards and 77 receiving touchdowns in his fantastic career.
2. Tony Gonzalez – TE
Years with Chiefs: 1997-2008
Tony Gonzalez was the best tight end in the league for over a decade with the Chiefs, as he made the All-Pro First Team five times win KC. He was on the Second Team four times and landed 10 Pro Bowl selections in a Chiefs uniform. Gonzalez had 10,940 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns with the Chiefs in an incredible career.
He led the league with 102 receptions in 2004 and found success with the Falcons to finish his career with 15,126 receiving yards and 111 touchdowns. Regardless of his time in Atlanta, Gonzalez was well on his way to the Hall of Fame thanks to dominating with the Chiefs.
1. Patrick Mahomes – QB
Years with Chiefs: 2017-Present
Patrick Mahomes turns 30 on September 17 of this year, and he is already the greatest player ever to wear a Chiefs uniform. Mahomes is a two-time regular-season MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP as he has dazzled NFL fans since taking over for Alex Smith in 2017. He has over 32,000 passing yards, 245 touchdowns, and has been a First-Team All-Pro selection twice.
He has shone on the biggest stage and helped the Chiefs reach five Super Bowls in the last six years. Mahomes was fantastic in wins over the 49ers in Super Bowls LIV and LVIII, along with beating the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Already in the midst of a Hall of Fame career, Mahomes has plenty left in the tank and will put even more distance between himself and No. 2 before it’s all said and done.
