National Football League

Who are the 10 greatest Kansas City Chiefs of all time?

Updated Jan. 9, 2025 11:03 a.m. ET

The Kansas City Chiefs were one of nine teams to be introduced in 1960 and have since won four Super Bowls and five championships in total.

In the present, Kansas City has won back-to-back titles, three of the past five Super Bowls and owns the No. 1 seed in the 2024 AFC playoffs. The Chiefs have sent 25 players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Here are the 10 greatest Chiefs of all time.

10. Emmitt Thomas (1966-78)

Thomas was exceptional for Kansas City. A five-time Pro Bowler, the cornerback was an indispensable part of the Chiefs' Super Bowl IV defense, reeling in an NFL-high nine interceptions in the 1969 regular season and then another four picks in the postseason. Thomas, who averaged five interceptions per season across his 13-year career, led the NFL with 12 interceptions for 214 yards and two pick-sixes in 1974. He's first in Chiefs history with 58 career interceptions — which ranks 12th all-time in the NFL — and 937 yards after those interceptions and is tied for second with five career pick-sixes.

9. Buck Buchanan (1963-75)

Buchanan was a rock for the Chiefs. A four-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, the 6-foot-7 defensive tackle only missed one game in his 13-year career, which was spent entirely in Kansas City. He's seventh in Chiefs history with 70.5 career sacks and posted one sack and five tackles in Kansas City's Super Bowl IV win over the Minnesota Vikings. Buchanan, who also came down with three career interceptions, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

8. Bobby Bell (1963-74)

Bell did a little bit of everything for the Chiefs. A defensive end at the outset of his pro career, Bell registered back-to-back seven-plus-sack seasons in 1964 and 1965, while also posting four interceptions in the latter year upon being moved to linebacker. Bell never missed a game. A six-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, Bell is first in Chiefs history with six pick-sixes, 10th with 26 interceptions and tied for 13th with 40 sacks.

7. Willie Lanier (1967-77)

Lanier was a fundamental aspect of Kansas City's Super Bowl IV defense. A three-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, the linebacker averaged three interceptions per season from 1968-76 and brought down an interception in the aforementioned Super Bowl victory. He's tied for second in Chiefs history with 18 fumble recoveries and is ninth with 27 interceptions. Lanier was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

6. Will Shields (1993-2006)

A third-round draft pick, Shields went on to become one of the best guards in NFL history. Shields was front and center with the Chiefs for 14 seasons — literally. Never missing a game, Shields is second in Chiefs history with 224 games played. A two-time All-Pro, Shields was named a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s and earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his final 12 seasons in the league. In addition, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

5. Len Dawson (1962-75)

Dawson is an integral part of the storytelling of the Chiefs franchise. A two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler at quarterback, Dawson is first in Chiefs history with 93 regular-season wins and second with 28,507 passing yards and 237 passing touchdowns. He led the league in completion percentage in eight seasons, passer rating in six seasons and passing touchdowns in four seasons with the Chiefs. Dawson, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns before joining Kansas City in 1962, was the Super Bowl IV MVP.

4. Travis Kelce (2013-present)

Kelce, who's still going strong in the present, is the Chiefs' No. 1 pass-catcher of all time, as he leads the franchise with a combined 1,004 receptions for 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns. A four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, Kelce surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in seven consecutive seasons (2016-22). As for postseason play, he's first in NFL history with 165 receptions and second with 1,903 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. Kelce has been the focal point of Kansas City's passing game in each of its last three Super Bowl seasons (2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons).

3. Derrick Thomas (1989-99)

Thomas was a menace. A two-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, the linebacker spent his entire career with the Chiefs. Thomas is first in Chiefs history with 126.5 career sacks, 41 forced fumbles — which ranks ninth in NFL history — 19 fumble recoveries, four scoop-and-scores, 161 yards after recovering a fumble and third with 599 solo tackles. He posted double-digit sacks in seven seasons, including a league-high 20 sacks in just his second season (1990), and led the league in forced fumbles twice (1990 and 1992).

2. Tony Gonzalez (1997-2008)

Gonzalez has a case for being the best tight end in NFL history. A six-time All-Pro and 14-time Pro Bowler, Gonzalez led the league with 102 receptions in 2004 and recorded 1,000-plus receiving yards in four seasons and double-digit touchdowns in three seasons. Gonzalez is second in Chiefs history with 916 receptions, 10,940 receiving yards and 76 receiving touchdowns. Furthermore, Gonzalez, who spent the last five seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons, is third in NFL history with 1,325 receptions, sixth with 15,127 receiving yards and eighth with 111 receiving touchdowns.

1. Patrick Mahomes (2017-present)

Mahomes has been a starting quarterback for just seven seasons (he became the Chiefs' permanent quarterback in 2018), but he's already one of the best to ever play the position. Leading the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles — and winning MVP honors in each of those three games — Mahomes has earned two All-Pro and six Pro Bowl nods. He has led the league in passing touchdowns twice and also surpassed 5,000 passing yards twice, taking home the league's MVP award in both seasons (2018 and 2022). Mahomes, who boasts a career 102.1 passer rating, is already first in Chiefs history with 32,352 passing yards and 245 passing touchdowns and second with 89 regular-season wins.

Honorable mentions: