Best UFA’s In Kansas City Chiefs History
By John Viril
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas – Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
1) CB-Emmitt Thomas, Bishop College, 1966–Emmitt Thomas is the greatest UFA in Chiefs history. He ended up becoming a 5-time pro-bowl player, made 1 1st team all-pro team, and was inducted into the NFL Hall-of-Fame in 2008 by the Seniors committee.
Thomas is also the franchise leader in interceptions with 58 in his career, which is 9th in NFL history. He had 5 interception returns for touchdowns and returned both punts and kickoffs in his career.
Yeah. Getting a no. 1 corner who ended up in the Hall-of-Fame is pretty good for a guy no one wanted. To tell you how good Chiefs scouts were in the late 60’s, the team landed two future Hall-of-Famers in consecutive years from the UFA pile.
Thomas moved into the starting lineup 1968, while sitting on the bench his first two seasons—including the team’s Super Bowl I berth. Thomas started in the Super Bowl IV victory over the Vikings, recording an interception.
Thomas was named to the Chiefs Hall-of-Fame in 1986.
Thomas became a long-time NFL coach, beginning his career in 1981. He became the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, was named interim coach of the Falcons in 2007 and joined the Chiefs staff as secondary coach in 2010 under Todd Haley. He is still on the Chiefs staff today.