The 10 Best Chiefs Players of All Time, Ranked

The Patrick Mahomes era has brought up a lively debate about the best Kansas City Chiefs players of all time. While some active players are obviously part of the discussion, several past players have clearly earned a spot on the list.

Let’s take a look at the 10 best Chiefs players of all time.

10. Priest Holmes

Years as a Chief: 2001-2007
Titles:

3-time First-Team All Pro (2001-2003)
3-time Pro Bowler (2001-2003)
Super Bowl champion (2001)
NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2002, 2003)
NFL rushing yards leader (2001)
NFL scoring leader (2002)

Awards: Offensive Player of the Year (2002)
Career regular season stats:

8,172 rushing yards
86 rushing touchdowns
4.6 YPC
339 receptions
2,962 receiving yards
8 receiving touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

221 rushing yards
2 rushing touchdowns
5.2 yards YPC
6 catches
36 receiving yards

Iconic performance: 11/24/2002 @ Seattle Seahawks

197 rushing yards
2 rushing touchdowns
110 receiving yards
1 receiving touchdown

Priest Holmes was one of the most dominant NFL rushers of the early 2000s. He set an NFL record in 2002 when he scored 27 touchdowns on the ground, and he scored a total of 51 touchdowns from 2001-2002. He amassed over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in each season from 2001-2003 and averaged a whopping 5.6 YPC over that timeframe. His ability to shake defenders with elusiveness and/or power made him the driving force of Kansas City’s offense during his prime years. Not bad for a player who went undrafted.

9. Jamaal Charles

Years as Chief: 2008-2016
Titles:

2-time First-Team All Pro (2010, 2013)
4-time Pro Bowler (2010, 2012-2014)
NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2013)

Awards: NFL Top 100 (2011, 2013-2016)
Career regular season stats:

7,563 rushing yards
44 rushing touchdowns
5.4 YPC
2,593 receiving yards, 20 receiving touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

100 rushing yards
1 rushing touchdown
8.3 YPC

Iconic performance: 12/15/2013 @ Oakland Raiders

8 receptions
195 receiving yards
5 total touchdowns

Jamaal Charles‘ efficiency as a runner and pass catcher was unmatched during his time with the Chiefs. His elusiveness had defenders frequently grasping at air, and his dual-threat ability made him a nightmare to defend in the run and pass game. He amassed over 1,300 yards from scrimmage in five of the nine seasons he was in Kansas City, and his 5.4 YPC career average is the best ever for an RB in NFL history. He also averaged 1.28 YPC above league average during his career, which is also the best in NFL history.

8. Tyreek Hill

Years as Chief: 2016-2021
Titles:

5-time First-Team All Pro (4 with KC)
8-time Pro Bowler (7 with KC)
Super Bowl champion (2020)
NFL receiving yards leader (2023)

Awards: NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
Career regular season stats:

730 receptions
10,333 receiving yards
77 receiving touchdowns
778 rushing yards
7 rushing touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

96 receptions
1,212 receiving yards
6 receiving touchdowns

Iconic performance: 11/29/2020 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

13 receptions
269 receiving yards
3 receiving touchdowns

When you look up “explosive” in the dictionary there will be a picture of Tyreek Hill next to it. The 5-foot-10 WR arguably changed the way defenses cover the deep ball due to his game-breaking speed. He also holds the Chiefs franchise record for the most receiving yards per game (72.9), which is why he deserves to be on this list.

7. Will Shields

Years as Chief: 1993-2006
Titles:

2-time First-Team All-Pro (2002, 2003)
12-time Pro Bowler

Awards:

NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year (2003)

Career regular season stats: 223 starts
Career postseason stats: 8 starts

Having not missed a game during his 14-year NFL career, Will Shields was the epitome of consistency. He solidified the interior of Kansas City’s offensive line and was a key component to RB Priest Holmes’ success in the early 2000s. In 2003, Shields was part of a Chiefs offensive line that gave up just 19 sacks the entire season, which is a franchise record. Shields has the second-most games played by a Chiefs player in franchise history and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

6. Bobby Bell

Years as Chief: 1963-1974
Titles:

First-Team All Pro (1970)
5-time First-Team All AFL
9-time Pro Bowler
6-time AFL All Star
Super Bowl champion (1970)
AFL champion (1966)

Awards:

NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
AFL All-Time Team

Career regular season stats:

26 interceptions
15 fumble recoveries
9 total touchdowns

Bobby Bell was an incredibly versatile defender for his time. Despite earning all-league honors early in his professional career as a defensive end, head coach Hank Stram moved him to outside linebacker, where Bell continued to thrive. He holds franchise records for most defensive touchdowns, most fumble recoveries, and most pick-sixes (6), and is second in franchise history for the most consecutive games played (168). Bell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983, becoming the first Chiefs player to ever be enshrined.

5. Len Dawson

Years as Chief: 1963-1975
Titles:

2-Time First-Team All AFL
6-time AFL All Star
Super Bowl champion (1970)
Super Bowl MVP
3-time AFL champion
AFL Championship MVP (1966)

Awards:

AFL All-Time Team
NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year (1973)

Career regular season stats:

28,711 passing yards
239 passing touchdowns
183 interceptions
1,293 rushing yards
9 rushing touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

1,497 passing yards
7 touchdowns
8 interceptions
103 rushing yards

Iconic performance: 11/01/1964 vs. Denver Broncos

435 passing yards
6 passing touchdowns

Len Dawson was immortalized in Chiefs Kingdom when he led the Chiefs to their first ever championship in 1970. His high-level accuracy paired with his elite decision making made him one of the best QBs of his time and the second-best in Chiefs history. Dawson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

4. Derrick Thomas

Years as Chief: 1989-1999
Titles:

2-time First-Team All Pro (1990, 1991)
9-time Pro Bowler

Awards:

NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1989)
NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year (1993)
NFLPA Alan Page Community Award (1995)

Career regular season stats:

641 tackles
126.5 sacks
41 forced fumbles
19 fumble recoveries
10 tackles for loss
4 touchdowns

Career postseason stats: 10 tackles, 6.5 sacks
Iconic performance: 11/11/1990 vs. Seattle Seahawks

7 sacks

Derrick Thomas is the best modern-era defender to wear a Chiefs uniform. When he retired he held the franchise record for most sacks in a single season (20) and still holds the NFL record for most sacks in a single game (7). He is also the franchise leader in career sacks by a wide margin, beating second on the list (Tamba Hali) by 37 sacks. Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

3. Travis Kelce

Years as Chief: 2013-
Titles:

4-time First-Team All-Pro
9-time Pro Bowler
3-time Super Bowl champion (2020, 2023, 2024)

Awards: NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
Career regular season stats:

915 receptions
11,397 receiving yards
74 receiving touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

165 receptions
1,903 receiving yards
19 receiving touchdowns

Iconic performance: 12/16/21 @ Los Angeles Chargers

10 catches
191 receiving yards
2 receiving touchdowns

Travis Kelce will likely go down as the best pass-catching TE of all-time. He changed the way the tight end position is played and has caused a ripple effect throughout the NFL, as many teams are trying to replicate the success that Kelce has had since beginning his NFL career. His ability to dissect defensive coverages bundled with his vision and athleticism led him to an NFL record seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He is the franchise leader in receiving yards and has the second-most receiving touchdowns in Chiefs history (74). Kelce also has the most receptions among all pass catchers in NFL postseason history and has the second-most receiving yards among all pass catchers in postseason history.

2. Tony Gonzalez

Years as Chief: 1997-2008
Titles:

6-time First-Team All Pro (5 with KC)
14-time Pro Bowler (10 with KC)

Awards:

NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team

Career regular season stats:

1,325 receptions
15,127 receiving yards
111 touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

30 receptions
286 receiving yards
4 receiving touchdowns

Iconic performance: 12/4/2000 @ New England Patriots

11 receptions
147 receiving yards
1 receiving touchdown

If Travis Kelce is the 1A in terms of best pass-catching tight ends of all-time, then Tony Gonzalez is 1B. When Gonzalez retired in 2013, he had the second-most receptions and fifth-most receiving yards not just for tight ends but for all players in NFL history. When he left the Chiefs in 2008 he held 20 franchise records, which included most receptions by a pass-catcher (916) and most receiving yards (10,940). Gonzalez, who missed only two regular season games during his time in Kansas City, is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in franchise history.

1. Patrick Mahomes

Years as Chief: 2017-
Titles:

2-time First-Team All Pro (2018, 2022)
6-time Pro Bowler
3-time Super Bowl champion (2020, 2023, 2024)
3-time Super Bowl MVP

Awards:

2-time NFL Most Valuable Player (2018,2022)
NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2018)

Career regular season stats:

29,083 passing yards
224 touchdowns
67 interceptions
1,985 rushing yards
12 rushing touchdowns

Career postseason stats:

5,135 passing yards
41 touchdowns
8 interceptions
524 rushing yards
5 rushing touchdowns

Iconic performance: 11/19/2018 @ Los Angeles Rams

478 passing yards
6 passing touchdowns
3 interceptions

Patrick Mahomes holds 10 Chiefs career passing records and also has the second-highest passer rating in NFL history among players with at least 1,500 pass attempts (103.5). He also owns the franchise’s postseason records for passing yards (5,135), touchdown passes (41), completions (456), attempts (672), completion percentage (67.9), passer rating (105.8) and rushing yards (524). Simply put, when Mahomes calls it a career he will go down as not just the best Chiefs player of all-time but one of the greatest NFL players of all-time.

Who did we miss? Share your top Chiefs players in the comments section below!

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