Kansas City Chiefs: Three jersey numbers worth retiring
By Casey Adkins
For a player to have their number retired by a team is one of the highest honors there is. It means that no other player is worthy of wearing the number on their jersey. Which Kansas City Chiefs should have their jersey numbers retired?
Teams retire numbers for a variety of reasons. The most common is for players that were the greatest at the position but some, like the Kansas City Chiefs, do it for memorial reasons.
The numbers 33 and 36 were retired because Stone Johnson and Mack Lee Hill, respectively, died while playing for the team. Joe Delaney‘s number 37 hasn’t been officially retired, but no player has worn it since that tragic day.
There are a few jersey numbers worthy of being retired by the Chiefs, so let’s dive right in.
JERSEY NUMBERS WORTH RETIRING
#88 – TONY GONZALEZ
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way, shall we?
Tony Gonzalez is the greatest tight end of all-time and one of the greatest Chiefs players of all-time. He sits atop the mountain in most, if not all, all-time records for the position and even challenges wide receivers in some cases.
This one could be considered controversial because the great is a mixed bag with the fans. Some take him for what he is, one of the greatest to ever play in a Chiefs uniform, while others take don’t take his comments about the Falcons making his career lightly.
No matter your feelings about him, he sits number one in career yards, receptions and touchdowns while he was in the red and gold. It is unlikely anyone could put on the number 88, wear it their entire Chiefs career, and put up the numbers that Gonzalez did.
Although Carlos Carson, who wore both 87 and 88 in his nine-year career with the Chiefs, did put up respectable numbers, but nowhere near the magnitude of Tony Gonzalez.