The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the most successful teams in this century.
They’ve won the seventh-most regular-season games since 2000, and the third-most playoff games. Their three Super Bowl victories are more than any team except the Patriots, as are their five conference titles. They’ve won their division an incredible nine years in a row, made the playoffs in each of the last 10 seasons and haven’t lost before the conference title game since 2018.
Most of their success has been concentrated in the last seven years since Patrick Mahomes ascended in the role as starting quarterback, but even before that they had some nice runs, especially during the first half of Andy Reid’s tenure. They’ve consistently had explosive playmakers on offense and sack artists on defense, and when you look at the totality of what they’ve done, they’re one of the defining teams of the last 25 years.
With that in mind, just as we have been doing for some of the other greatest franchises of the last two-plus decades, we’re assembling an All-Quarter Century roster for the Chiefs. It’s a 53-man team, too, designed to resemble what a squad would actually put on the field on Sundays.
Without further ado, here’s the roster.
Quarterback (3)
Mahomes is well on his way to potentially being the best quarterback in history. I’ve personally never seen anyone play the position at a higher level. Tom Brady may have a greater list of accomplishments, but that’s only because Mahomes’ career is barely halfway over. He’s only going to add to his legend over the next decade. He’s obviously a shoo-in as the starter here, and would be on just about any all-time team.
Green had some damn good seasons during his time in Kansas City, making the Pro Bowl twice and throwing for 21,459 yards, 118 touchdowns and incredibly, 85 interceptions. Smith was basically the opposite type of player, not as explosive as Green but always taking care of the ball. They’re a nice duo backing up Mahomes.
Running back (4)
- Priest Holmes
- Jamaal Charles
- Larry Johnson
- Tony Richardson (fullback)
This is an embarrassment of riches at the running back position. A guy who once ran for over 1,700 yards in back to back seasons (Johnson) is the No. 3 player on the depth chart, simply because with how good and how electric the two guys ahead of him were, there’s no way he can be any higher.
Holmes was an incredible bell cow for three consecutive seasons from 2001 through 2003, totaling 4,590 yards and 56 touchdowns while leading the league in rushing yards once and touchdowns twice. He was also no slouch in the receiving game, averaging 69 catches for 659 yards a year during that three-season run. This version of the Chiefs wouldn’t need him to handle the entire ball-carrying load, though, because Charles could be even more explosive than was Holmes. He was injured quite often during his career but when he stayed healthy … my god was he incredible. He’s one of just a few backs ever to average over 5 yards per carry for his entire career, and he was a big play waiting to happen throughout his time on the field. It would almost be unfair to pair him and Holmes together.
Richardson, meanwhile, was an excellent fullback for many years in Kansas City, and even fared pretty well as ball-carrier on occasion. Fullbacks don’t get much run in the NFL these days, but Richardson was a really good, really versatile player and could help this offense a lot.
Tight end (3)
The Chiefs have been fortunate enough to employ two of the greatest tight ends of all time.
They had the Hall-of-Famer Gonzalez for the first 12 years of his career, during which he made the Pro Bowl 10 times and was named a first-team All-Pro on five occasions and a second-teamer on four while catching 916 passes for 10,940 yards and 76 touchdowns. Somehow, it’s possible that he’s not even the best tight end in team history as in Kelce’s 12 seasons he has also made 10 Pro Bowls, plus four All-Pro first teams and three second teams while catching 1,004 passes for 12,151 yards and 77 scores. (And he did that while appearing in just one catch-less game during his rookie season.)
It also doesn’t really matter which player you think is “better,” because they can be on the field at the same time with this All-Quarter Century squad. If you remember how difficult the 2011 Patriots were to defend, just imagine how much tougher it would be with two all-time greats lined up next to each other.
Wide receiver (6)
Amazingly, this might be the weakest part of the roster. And I guess it comes as no surprise if you remember that there was a season where Smith didn’t throw a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver. Kansas City’s best pass-catchers have typically been the tight ends, which makes sense when you consider that the team has employed either Gonzalez or Kelce for essentially the entirety of this century.
Still, there’s a lot to like here, especially in terms of versatility. Hill can basically do anything you could possibly ask a wide receiver to do — play outside or in the slot, stretch the field deep or create after the catch, as evidenced by his making the Pro Bowl in each of his six seasons in K.C. and being named a first-team All-Pro three times while hauling in 479 passes for 6,630 yards and 56 touchdowns. And we know he has electric chemistry with Mahomes.
Bowe is your prototype X receiver at 6-2, 221 pounds, and he can win on the perimeter while consistently moving the chains for first downs and red-zone opportunities. We’ve seen in just a short stint that Rice can be among the most explosive players at the position, especially while working as an underneath target in the slot who can use his speed and strength to gain yards with the ball in his hands. Kennison was an absolute speed demon (he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds) who could take the top off the defense, and he topped 800 receiving yards in each of his first five seasons with the Chiefs.
And then there’s Hall and McCluster, who were mostly gadget players on offense but could create a ton of big plays. Where they’re really helping the All-Quarter Century Chiefs, though, is in the return game. Hall was one of the best all-around return guys of all time, and McCluster was no slouch, especially on punts.
Offensive line (9)
Roaf and Shields are in the Hall of Fame. Waters made six Pro Bowls and two appearances on the All-Pro First Team while in Kansas City. Albert was a Pro-Bowler once, Fisher made it twice and Schwartz made first team All-Pro once and the second team thrice. Smith is already well on his way to a dominant career playing on the inside and should be similarly excellent for years to come, given that he only recently (as in earlier this week) turned 26 years old.
The same applies to Humphrey, but an even higher level considering he’s probably been the best overall center in the NFL during the four years he’s been in the league. He doesn’t turn 26 until later this month and he’s already got three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro berths (one first team and one second) under his belt. And Wiegman was a reliable starter at center for years.
There’s a whole lot of beef and a bunch of left-right versatility to this group, as each of Roaf, Fisher and Waters played on each side of the line at one point or another during their respective careers.
Defensive line (9)
It would be absolute hell trying to deal with this pass rush. Houston, a four-time Pro Bowler and former first team All-Pro who once had a 22-sack season, might not even be the most threatening guy on the edge. That’s because Allen, a Hall-of-Famer who, admittedly, had his best seasons in Minnesota and not Kansas City, also exists. He racked up 43 sacks during his four seasons in Kansas City, never notching fewer than 7.5 in a given season. Then there’s Hali, who is the team’s leader in sacks this century with 89.5 through his 12-year career, the entirety of which was played in Kansas City and which saw him make five Pro Bowls and two second-team All-Pro appearances. Karlaftis and Hicks are basically depth guys here, and they’re damn good in their own right.
Oh, and then we get to the interior, where Jones is basically unblockable and is one of the best players in team history regardless of position. The future Hall-of-Famer has 80.5 sacks from his spot on the interior, with six Pro Bowls, six All-Pro nods (three first teams in each of the last three seasons, plus three second teams) and and increasingly long playoff resume. Poe was one of the best run defenders of his era and ate space inside with the best of them. Plus, he played some fullback and even caught ran for two touchdowns. At 346 pounds, he’s the fifth-heaviest player ever to put the ball in the end zone. Again, Nnadi and Bailey, two good players, are basically afterthoughts on the inside.
Linebacker (5)
Johnson is Kansas City’s all-time leader in tackles by more than 300. He’s also second in team history in tackles for loss. He’s a four-time Pro-Bowler and two-time All-Pro (one first team, one second) who was a force on the second level of the defense for more than a decade. Edwards is third on the all-time tackle list after spending eight of his 13 career seasons in Kansas City, and while most of his contributions came from 1996 through 1999, we’re sneaking him onto this team nonetheless as recognition of his services.
Because Kansas City played a 3-4 defense for a long time in the 2000s and 2010s, a lot of the edge rushers on the team are actually 3-4 outside linebackers, which depletes the pool from which we have to choose at this position. Still, Bolton and Gay were major contributors to championship defenses, and Hitchens was a solid player for four years who was also on the Chiefs’ first championship team of the Mahomes era.
Cornerback (6)
There were a lot of players to choose from here, from all different eras of the Chiefs during this century.
McDuffie has blossomed into one of the small handful of best corners in the NFL during his short time in the league. He has inside-outside versatility, he’s tough as nails, and he gets his hands on the ball. He’s fantastic. Speaking of getting your hands on the ball … Peters was a ridiculous playmaker during his time in K.C. He had 19 interceptions and two pick-sixes during his time with the Chiefs, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team twice each (one first team, one second) because he was just an explosive play waiting to happen. He gambled a lot and gave up big plays, too, but man was he fun to watch.
Sneed also spent just four years in Kansas City, but he was a damn good player during that time as another guy with the ability to play both outside and in the slot, to help play the run and to take the ball away through the air while staying sticky in coverage. Carr was one of the best corners in football during his time with the Chiefs before signing with Dallas at the expiration of his rookie contract.
Flowers had a hit of a longer run (six years) and finally made a Pro Bowl during his final season with the Chiefs, but he was also a really good player who got his hands on the ball quite often (17 interceptions in 88 games for Kansas City). Warfield played eight years for the Chiefs and, stop me if you’ve heard this before, got his hands on the ball a lot with 20 interceptions and 78 passes defensed. He worked his way up from being a backup to a starter and was a major contributor for a long time.
Safety (5)
Berry was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, the AP Comeback Player of the Year after he returned from his cancer diagnosis to be one of the best safeties in the NFL that same season. His ability to patrol center field on the back end of the defense made him a member of the Hall of Fame All-2010s Team. Wesley had a strong eight-year run with the Chiefs, working as a starter for seven seasons and racking up tackles (592), interceptions (29), passes defensed (59) and forced fumbles (11). An in-the-box guy who could just make plays coming downhill.
Mathieu had a ton of versatility to play basically any spot in the secondary, but he spent most of his time at safety or in the slot. That type of flexibility made the Chiefs tough to play against, and he made two Pro Bowls and two All-Pro first teams during his three years in K.C. (And he won a Super Bowl there as well.) Parker also brought some flexibility to the back end of the defense, playing both free and strong safety during uis time with the team, racking up tackles in the box and picks on the back end. He wasn’t an amazing player, but a solid one, and a good contributor for several seasons. Reid, meanwhile, has been a key cog in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense since arriving in 2022, during which time the Chiefs have gone to the Super Bowl every year while Reid has started and played a significant role.
Specialists (3)
It was pretty easy to select both Butker and Colquitt, who were among the very best in the league for essentially their entire tenures in Kansas City. (And Butker’s tenure is obviously still going.) Winchester has been the long-snapper in K.C. for the last 10 seasons, which makes him a three-time Super Bowl champ. I’m not entirely sure how to evaluate long-snapping, but that seems like a good enough stretch to net him the role on the All-Quarter Century team.
Head coach
I mean, duh. He’s one of the best coaches of all time, and now a three-time Super Bowl champ who has won the AFC West in nine straight seasons and the conference itself in five of the last six years. He is the defining offensive coach of his generation and one of the most creative play designers and play callers in history. With Mahomes as his muse, he has consistently driven some of the best offenses in the league, and together they have authored some of the best seasons of all time. He even found a way to drive high-level success before Mahomes arrived, winning between 9 and 12 games in each of the five seasons before Mahomes took over under center. Simply, he’s one of the best to ever do it, and there was no other option to be the coach of this team.
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