Best UFA’s In Kansas City Chiefs History

Kansas City Chiefs safety Deron Cherry (20) (Photo by Damian Strohmeyer/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

3) FS-Deron Cherry, Rutgers, 1981–Deron Cherry was invited to camp in 1981 as a punter. Cherry was initially cut, and and called back to the team due to injuries in the secondary.

Boy was that a great decision.

Cherry only went on to earn 6 consecutive pro-bowl berths from 1983 to 1988. Three times he was named to the 1st team All-pro team in his 11-year NFL career, all of them in Kansas City.

Not gifted with speed, Cherry compensated by being one of the smartest players in the game. He only got a chance in the starting lineup after pro-bowl free safety Gary Barbaro left after signing a big contract with the rival USFL in 1983. The Chiefs never missed Barbaro because Cherry was better.

Cherry was a turnover machine as the center-fielder in the Chiefs defense. He snagged 50 interceptions in his career, no. 3 in Chiefs history and no. 26 in NFL history. Cherry is also tied with 2 other Chiefs as the franchise  leader with 15 recovered fumbles. He also was a sure tackler as the last line of defense, compiling 6 100 tackle seasons in his career.

Deron Cherry retired after the 1991 season, and became a minority partner of the Jacksonville Jaguars ownership group. Cherry was one of the first minority owners in league history.

Not bad for a guy no one wanted on draft day.

Next: Jan Stenerud