The Kansas City Chiefs have had some great weapons on offense throughout their storied history. Who have been some of the greatest ever?
Kansas City Chiefs fans have been fortunate to watch some great playmakers on offense over the years. From Pro Football Hall of Fame talents like Tony Gonzalez to a more recent name in 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are no stranger to great offensive players.
This list will take the best offensive weapons ever, from all different eras of the game and dive into why they were such pains for opposing defenses.
I will say that due to how the game was decades ago versus how it is now, I couldn’t just go off of stats. I had to keep in mind how the game was played when that guy was in his prime and go from there.
So, who have been some of the most explosive weapons to ever don the red and white uniforms? Let’s take a look.
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Maybe this one needs an asterisk considering Dante Hall did most of his damage on special teams, but he was still an explosive weapon. Because he was a menace on special teams rather than on offense, this will be included as an honorable mention and not on the actual rankings.
Hall played for Kansas City from 2000 to 2006 after being a fifth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He became known as the “Human Joy Stick” and the “X-Factor” during his seven seasons as a Chief and was an absolute cheat code as a return man.
From 2002 to 2006, Hall had over 1,000 yards on kick returns with a career-high 1,718 in 2004. That’s a rarity in today’s NFL simply due to the kickoff rules changing, but Hall flourished with the different rules at the time. He took six kickoffs to the house and returned two punts the other way as well.
When it comes to explosive weapons in Chiefs history, Dante Hall needs to be mentioned, even if he did most of his damage as a return man and not on offense.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 15. Fred Arbanas
Some of these players’ stats might not pop off the page like guys’ stats do now, but it was a different time in football and people need to remember that. Fred Arbanas is a prime example of that.
While Arbanas’ stats aren’t mind-blowing (3,101 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns through nine years), he’s one of the best tight ends in franchise history. He’s also a four-time champion (three AFL titles and a Super Bowl title) and still sits 12th all time in receiving yards for the franchise, even four decades after having retired.
Arbanas’ best season came in 1964 when he hauled in 34 receptions for 686 yards and found the end zone eight times. He averaged 20.2 yards per reception that season, which goes to show why he’s included on this list. Arbanas was tough to bring down!
The Chiefs were the team to be scared of in the 1960s and Arbanas played a huge part in that. He won’t be the only guy from that decade on this list, but he still goes down as one of the best tight ends in Chiefs history.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 14. Stephone Paige
Chiefs fans didn’t have much to cheer for in the 1980s, but Stephone Paige was one of the few bright spots during a horrid decade in the franchise’s history. Paige finished his nine-year career totaling 6,341 receiving yards and 49 touchdowns.
The reason Paige is this low is that his fellow teammates let him down. He should have been a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver, making catches in playoff games. Instead, he sniffed the playoffs just twice in nine years and never made it to a single Pro Bowl.
Paige could have been a much bigger name in the NFL, but a bad team prevented him from becoming a household name, which is a downright shame. Still, he was one of the few good players on the Chiefs in the 1980s and one of their best receivers decades later.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 13. Marcus Allen
It was quite the thrill when the Chiefs were able to get Marcus Allen from the then-Los Angeles Raiders in the early 1990s. Here was a guy who had gashed the Chiefs on the ground for years and now he was wearing that red and white that Raiders fans loathed. It was a thing of beauty for sure.
Allen continued to be a touchdown machine during his tenure with the Chiefs. In the 1993 NFL season where both he and Joe Montana came to Kansas City, Allen rushed for 764 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, while catching 34 passes for 234 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
He finished his five-year stint with 3,698 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns, while also totaling 1,153 yards and three touchdowns (all three came in 1993). Allen is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While most remember him as a Raider, seeing him finish his career with the Chiefs was awesome.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 12. Ed Podolak
The second member of the 1960s team to make the list is Ed Podolak, who spent the 1969 to 1977 AFL/NFL seasons in Kansas City. In a time where the NFL was focused more on running the ball than attempting 40+ passes a game, Podolak was a quarterback’s best friend.
The Iowa product, who the Chiefs took in the second round in 1969, rushed for 4,451 yards with 34 rushing touchdowns and caught 2,456 yards and six receiving touchdowns during his nine-year career.
He also spent time as a return man, showcasing his many talents and proving that he could step into just about any role the Chiefs asked of him.
Podolak’s ability to be everywhere on the field makes him one of the all-time weapons in Chiefs history.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 11. Tyreek Hill
Younger fans will be clamoring for Tyreek Hill to be much higher on the list, but once you see the names listed ahead of him, you’ll see why he didn’t reach the top 10.
That being said, Hill has been a terrific player on the field during his time with the organization. A sixth-round draft pick in 2016, Hill had a rookie season for the ages, making an impact in the run game, the receiving game and on special teams.
In a game against the Denver Broncos that year, Hill was the first player to record a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown and a special teams touchdown in the same game since Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Gayle Sayers did so way back when for the Chicago Bears. Talk about good company!
Since then, Hill has predominantly been a receiver, but a dominant one at that. He’s totaled over 1,000 yards receiving the past two seasons and been named All-Pro in those two seasons. Even though he was drafted as a running back, Hill has made his name as a wide receiver. He’s easily one of the franchise’s most explosive players.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 10. Christian Okoye
Ahhh, the “Nigerian Nightmare” himself, Christian Okoye! A second-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, Okoye went on to become one of the best running backs in Chiefs history (and that’s saying something).
Over his six years in Chiefs red, Okoye tallied just shy of 4,900 yards rushing, while bulldozing his way into the end zone 40 times. His best season came in 1989 where he carried the ball 370 times for a whopping 1,480 yards and scored 12 touchdowns!
Okoye did all of this at the massive size of 6-foot-1 and 253 pounds. As I mentioned above, he truly was a bulldozer, merely plowing through defenders and becoming a nearly impossible player to bring down. He’s fourth all time in rushing yards for the organization and fifth all time in rushing touchdowns scored.
“The Nigerian Nightmare” is one of the most explosive weapons in Chiefs history.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 9. Larry Johnson
Despite not being the most popular guy in Kansas City for much of his career, it was hard to deny that Larry Johnson was a talent. There were two years in particular where Johnson took it to opposing defenses, rushing for over 1,700 yards in those two seasons.
Overall, Johnson racked up 6,015 rushing yards (good for third all time in Chiefs history) and 55 touchdowns (good for second all time in Chiefs history), while making it to two Pro Bowls and being named an All-Pro once.
Were it not for some questionable decisions, Johnson would be considered one of the all-time greats in Kansas City, but he was quite the drama king during his time in the NFL. He’s seemingly matured and become a nicer guy now, but Chiefs fans don’t look back at his career with fond memories.
Even with the drama Johnson brought, there’s no denying he was one of the most explosive weapons the Chiefs ever had.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 8. Patrick Mahomes
Before Chiefs fans freak out with Patrick Mahomes being this low on the list, hear me out. Yes, Mahomes won the MVP in the 2018 NFL season, but the game is much different from it was a couple of decades ago. The game is designed for quarterbacks to ball out these days. Quarterbacks from a few decades ago didn’t have that luxury.
With that said, Mahomes is still a freak of nature, throwing for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns during his first full year at the helm. It wasn’t his rookie season, as he had sat behind Alex Smith on the depth chart in 2017, not playing until the final game of the season.
There was some uncertainty about what Mahomes would be when he took over the reins in 2018, but we saw the result and it was very good. Mahomes led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game in his first year and that was a huge deal to the fine people of Kansas City.
Mahomes will more than likely move up on this list over the years, but for now, he has a small sample size. So it’s hard to put him higher than No. 8 due to the lack of experience.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 7. Travis Kelce
Drafted in the third round out of Cincinnati in 2013, Travis Kelce has taken the NFL by storm and is easily considered one of the best tight ends in the league. Kelce played in just one game as a rookie but has appeared in almost every game since then.
Kelce has totaled over 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last three seasons while notching double-digit touchdowns in 2018. Even when he had Alex Smith throwing the ball to him, Kelce proved he was a force to be reckoned with. Seeing guys try to tackle him was always entertaining.
Kelce, who turns 30 during the 2019 NFL season, continues to be a freak on the field. He has four Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pro nods. Kelce is nowhere near being done.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 6. Trent Green
Before Patrick Mahomes took over the reins at quarterback in 2018, a lot of Chiefs fans longed for the days of a quarterback like Trent Green who could throw the ball deep. Green was good at that and he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history to this day.
Green joined the Chiefs in 2001 and went on to start all 16 games for the first five seasons he spent in Kansas City. It wasn’t until 2006 that Green missed time due to injury.
During those healthy seasons, Green put up insane numbers, especially for the early to mid-2000s. He threw for over 4,000 yards three times, including 4,591 yards in 2004.
Green’s final numbers with the Chiefs were 21,549 passing yards, 118 touchdowns and 85 interceptions. He did throw a lot of picks, but that’s to be expected from a quarterback who likes to air it out.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 5. Len Dawson
Kicking off the top five is the greatest quarterback in Chiefs history and the only one, to this point at least, to win a Super Bowl with the franchise. Len Dawson joined the Chiefs in 1962 when they were still known as the Dallas Texans.
The team relocated to Kansas City the next season and thus began the dominant run by the Chiefs in the 1960s. During that era of football, it was more common to run the ball, but that didn’t stop Dawson from putting up great numbers.
In each of his first six years at the helm, Dawson threw for over 20 touchdowns and threw for over 25 touchdowns in four of those seasons. That was impressive back then, as football was more of a running sport for sure.
Dawson is the only quarterback to A) Win a Super Bowl for the Chiefs; B) Make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; C) Look badass smoking a cigarette on the sideline. He’s the fifth most explosive weapon for the franchise and the most explosive quarterback on the list.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 4. Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor is still the greatest wide receiver to ever play for the Chiefs. While he hasn’t made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Taylor is still an all-time legend in Kansas City, winning a Super Bowl and sitting second all-time in receiving yards. Oh, did I mention he hasn’t played in the NFL since 1975 and still holds all of those accolades?
Taylor spent 11 years in the league and all 11 seasons were with the Chiefs. He totaled 7,306 yards and 57 touchdowns in an era of football where it wasn’t as easy to be a dominant wide receiver. Imagine Taylor in today’s NFL and how he’d blow the lids off his opponents.
As I mentioned not long ago, the NFL was more of a running league when Taylor was playing, but the guy was still a freak of nature. He had two seasons where he went for over 1,100 yards and even had one season that saw him grab double-digit touchdowns!
With how dominant Taylor was in an era where receivers weren’t dominant, he has to be high on this list.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 3. Priest Holmes
Things continue to get tricky, as only one guy could be No. 1. It was hard not putting Priest Holmes as the most explosive Chief ever, but third is pretty darn good!
Holmes, an undrafted talent out of Texas in 1997, spent four years with the Baltimore Ravens before being scooped up by the Chiefs. In one of the best free-agent signings ever, Holmes became one of the best running backs in Chiefs history.
In his first year with the Chiefs, Holmes rushed for over 1,500 yards and somehow that wasn’t as good as things would get with the former Longhorn.
In year two with the team in 2002, Holmes had 1,615 yards and an astounding 21 rushing touchdowns! He even topped that touchdown total the next year in 2003, by finding the end zone 27 times, while putting up 1,420 yards on the ground.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Holmes would find himself pretty high up on this list. His dominance throughout the 2001 to 2003 NFL seasons (even 2004 where he had 14 touchdowns but failed to get to 1,000 yards) showed just how darn good he truly was.
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 2. Tony Gonzalez
It was tough not having Tony Gonzalez at No. 1, but when you see who is in that spot, you’ll understand. Let’s talk about Tony G, though!
Gonzalez was the organization’s first-round pick in 1997 and he’s only gone down as arguably the best tight end in NFL history. Gonzalez leads the team in receiving yards with 10,940 yards and totaled 76 touchdowns during his 12 years as a Chief.
What makes Gonzalez’s legacy even more impressive is that he managed to do all that with some bums as his quarterbacks. Even with poor signal-callers, Gonzalez put up gaudy numbers every year, going for over 1,000 yards in two of those horrible seasons (2007 and 2008).
It’s no wonder that Gonzalez made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and will go down as the best tight end to ever play the game. If he can’t get to No. 1 on this list, whoever could it be?
Most explosive players in Kansas City Chiefs history: 1. Jamaal Charles
Were you surprised by this? Jamaal Charles was an absolute freak of nature and was most definitely the most explosive weapon the Chiefs have ever had!
Charles, a third-round pick out of Texas in 2008, did some insane things while on the gridiron for the Chiefs. For one, he rushed for over 1,000 yards in five of his first seven seasons at the helm. He also was a huge threat catching the ball too, as we saw in his legendary performance against the Oakland Raiders in the Black Hole in 2013.
When the Chiefs were 2-14 and a laughingstock in 2012, Charles was the only worthwhile reason to tune in. He rushed for 1,509 yards and five touchdowns that year and was the only good player on offense that year. It’s a shame he didn’t get to see more success in Kansas City.
Charles finished his career in Kansas City with 7,260 yards and 43 touchdowns, while also grabbing 285 passes for 2,457 yards and 20 touchdowns. His ability to kill defenses with both his legs and ability to catch out of the backfield made him nearly impossible to stop. It was unfortunate when the Chiefs had to part ways with him.
Even though Charles spent some time with the Denver Broncos, he made nice with Chiefs fans when he signed a one-day contract to retire with the organization, where he not only had great success but was their all-time most explosive weapon.
The Chiefs have had some incredibly weapons on offense and it was hard to A) Narrow this list down to 15 guys and B) Rank those 15 guys!
Ultimately, Jamaal Charles landed at No. 1 because he was an absolute menace to opposing defenses. Some of the performances he put up would make people do a double-take.
That game in Oakland in 2013 where he had nearly 200 yards receiving (yes, receiving) with five total touchdowns (four receiving; again, yes, receiving) was a performance we’ll likely never see again, especially from a running back. Charles was simply incredible and deserved the top spot.
That being said, arguments could have been made for just about any guy on this list to be ranked No. 1. Tony Gonzalez is a Hall of Fame tight end and it’s a bummer he didn’t get to experience more success with the Chiefs. Not putting Priest Holmes No. 1 was tough too, as that guy was something else running with the football.
When it comes down to it, the Chiefs are truly lucky to have had so many explosive weapons on offense. Hopefully, more are on the horizon in the years to come!