Bridging the Super Bowl gap: 29 Chiefs started at QB between Dawson and Mahomes
Twenty-nine quarterbacks started games for the Kansas City Chiefs after Hall of Famer Len Dawson’s tenure concluded in 1975 and before last year’s NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes went under center full-time.
The group of starting QBs in between the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl signal-callers includes relatively obscure names as well as a legendary figure and many who fall in between.
The years listed are the players’ seasons with the Chiefs, not their entire careers.
Mike Livingston (1968-79)
An AFL Pro Bowler along with Len Dawson in 1969, Livingston spent his entire career with the Chiefs. He threw for career highs in yards (2,682) and touchdowns (12) in 14 games in 1976.
Tony Adams (1975-78)
In 50 games with the Chiefs in seven seasons, Adams made 10 starts and finished his tenure with the franchise having thrown more interceptions (22) than touchdowns (nine).
Steve Fuller (1979-82)
A first-round draft pick (23rd overall) out of Clemson in 1979, Fuller spent the first four years (52 games, 31 starts) of his seven-year career with the Chiefs. He started 12 games as a rookie for a 7-9 squad.
Bill Kenney (1980-88)
Born in San Francisco, Kenney played in 106 games (77 starts) for the Chiefs. He earned a Pro Bowl selection and passed for 4,348 yards in 1983. Lynn Dickey led the league with 4,458 that year.
Todd Blackledge (1983-87)
The seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft out of Penn State, Blackledge went 13-11 in 24 starts (40 games) and appeared in one playoff game. His final two seasons in the NFL came with Pittsburgh.
Matt Stevens (1987)
An undrafted free agent out of UCLA, Stevens played for Chiefs offensive coordinator Homer Smith in college. In three games (two starts) while NFL players went on strike, he went 32 of 57 for 315 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Frank Seurer (1986-87)
A product of the University of Kansas, Seurer appeared in one game in 1986 and didn’t attempt a pass. He went 26 of 55 for 340 yards and four interceptions in eight games (two starts) in 1987.
Doug Hudson (1987)
He was drafted by the Chiefs and made one start as part of a replacement squad with NFL players on strike. He attempted one pass and it was incomplete. He also got sacked once and fumbled once.
Steve DeBerg (1988-91)
DeBerg came to the Chiefs as a 34-year-old QB after stints in San Francisco, Denver and Tampa Bay. He threw for more yards (11,873) with the Chiefs than any of the six franchises for which he ultimately played.
Ron Jaworski (1989)
“Jaws” had spent 14 years in the NFL by the time he landed with the Chiefs in 1989. He appeared in six games (three starts) for the Chiefs and threw for 385 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Steve Pelluer (1989-90)
Pelluer, brother of former New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Pelluer, spent five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Chiefs. He went 1-1-1 as a starter in his first year with the Chiefs and played in 18 games in two seasons.
Mark Vlasic (1991)
Following three seasons and three starts with the San Diego Chargers, Vlasic played in six regular-season games (one start) and one playoff game for the Chiefs. His lone start came in a Week 15 loss to San Francisco.
Dave Krieg (1992-93)
Following 12 seasons and more than 26,000 passing yards with Seattle, Krieg spent two seasons with the Chiefs. He went 13-8 as a starter and made a Wild Card playoff appearance in 1992.
Joe Montana (1993-94)
A Hall of Famer, Montana came to the Chiefs via trade at the age of 36 (he turned 37 before his first season with KC) having already accumulated seven Pro Bowl appearances, four Super Bowl championships, three Super Bowl MVPs, three first-team All-Pro honors, two MVP awards. He led the Chiefs to an 11-5 record and an AFC title game appearance in 1993. His two postseason wins that year were more than the Chiefs had in the previous 20 years. They went back to the playoffs the following year and lost their first game.
Steve Bono (1994-96)
Bono started nine games in his career prior to joining the Chiefs in 1994, six of those for San Francisco. He started all 16 games in 1994 as the Chiefs finished first in the AFC at 13-3, and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1995. They went 9-7 and missed the playoffs in 1996.
Rich Gannon (1995-98)
Before he went on to become a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time first-team All-Pro and the MVP (2002) with the rival Raiders, Gannon passed for 3,997 yards and 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 27 games (19 starts) for the Chiefs.
Elvis Grbac (1997-00)
Another former San Francisco QB, Grbac made 47 of his 70 career starts with the Chiefs. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2000. He threw for 4,169 yards and 28 touchdowns that season, his final with the Chiefs.
Warren Moon (1999-00)
A Hall of Fame quarterback who began his professional career in the CFL, Moon established himself as one of the best passers in the game’s history over 15 NFL seasons prior to coming to the Chiefs at the age of 43 in 1999. In two seasons he played in three games with one start in 2000.
Trent Green (2001-06)
Green passed for the second-most yards (21,459) and touchdowns (118) of any Chiefs quarterback behind only Len Dawson. Green eclipsed 4,000 passing yards for three consecutive years from 2003-05. From 2001-06 he started all 88 games he played and made two Pro Bowls.
Damon Huard (2006-08)
Huard spent five seasons in the NFL and made six total starts with Miami and New England prior to his stint with the Chiefs. He started 21 of 26 games he played with the Chiefs and went to 10-11 as a starter.
Brodie Croyle (2006-10)
A third-round draft pick out of Alabama, Croyle played in 18 NFL games — all for the Chiefs. He started 10 and went 0-10 as a starter. He completed 181 of 319 passes for 1,669 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Tyler Thigpen (2007-09)
Thigpen attempted just six passes in his first season (2007), but he started 11 times the next season and the Chiefs went 1-10 with him as he completed 54.8% of his passes and threw for 2,608 and 18 touchdowns. The Chiefs traded him to Miami, and he went on to also play for Buffalo and Cleveland.
Matt Cassel (2009-12)
He was traded to the Chiefs after helping the New England Patriots go 10-5 in 15 starts after Tom Brady’s season-ending injury in 2008. He threw a career-high 27 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl in 2010. The Chiefs lost to Baltimore in the Wild Card round of the playoffs that season, their most successful with Cassel.
Tyler Palko (2010-11)
An undrafted southpaw out of Pittsburgh, Palko spent time in the CFL and as a reserve for the Pittsburgh Steelers before getting his first game experience with the Chiefs. He made four starts (eight games) for the Chiefs in two years. He threw for 831 yards, two touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Kyle Orton (2011)
The 2011 season saw the Chiefs go from head coach Todd Haley to interim head coach Romeo Crennel mid-season. The Chiefs claimed Orton off waivers from the Broncos, and he started three games and went 2-1 with 779 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Brady Quinn (2012)
The Browns’ first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2007, Quinn hadn’t played in a game since 2009 when the Chiefs acquired him and had him start eight times and appear twice more in 2012. He threw for 1,141 yards with two touchdowns, eight interceptions and the Chiefs went 1-7 with him starting.
Alex Smith (2013-17)
The first overall draft pick out of Utah in 2005, Smith started 75 games for San Francisco before the Chiefs acquired him via trade. A three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Chiefs, Smith went 50-26 as a starter and ranks third in passing yards in franchise history (17,608). He also served as a mentor for a rookie named Patrick Mahomes in 2017.
Chase Daniel (2013-15)
A standout college quarterback at Missouri, Daniel spent 2009-12 with the New Orleans Saints. In three seasons with the Chiefs, Daniel made two spot starts. In 10 games, he threw for 409 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Nick Foles (2016)
A Super Bowl champion with the Eagles in 2017, Foles made one start (a win) and played in three games for the Chiefs the season before. He threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in 2016.
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Bridging the Super Bowl gap: 29 Chiefs started at QB between Dawson and Mahomes."
