Kansas City Chiefs Top 5 Quarterbacks of All Time

(last updated on February 5, 2026)

Long before Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce made the Kansas City Chiefs a modern-day NFL juggernaut, the Chiefs were actually the Dallas Texans of the AFL, and they were the league champions in 1962. In 1963, the franchise moved to Kansas City, and they have been the Chiefs ever since. Then Hank Stram and company won Super Bowl IV the year before the NFL-AFL merged in 1970. Although many playoff trips followed in the 90s and 2000s, the Chiefs didn’t reach another Super Bowl until the Patrick Mahomes era. We all know how that has gone for Kansas City since then. This team from the heartland has a rich tradition that seems to get richer by the year. As you’ll see, this list of football luminaries is quite worthy of Chiefs Kingdom. I give you the top quarterbacks of all time for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Joe Montana? Yes, that Joe Montana of NFL all-time lore is also one of the greatest quarterbacks in Kansas City Chiefs history. Who could ever forget that car-crash-in-slow-motion hit Joe Cool took from Leonard Marshall in the 1990 NFC Championship Game? That shot took this Hall of Famer out of football for almost two years. Once the 49ers moved on from Joe, he became a Chief for the final two seasons of his historic career and got KC to the brink of the Super Bowl. In 1993, Montana was 8-3 in 11 starts for the Chiefs with a 60.7 completion %, 2,144 passing yards, and 13 TD tosses. During the playoffs, he led comeback wins over Pittsburgh and Houston. At Buffalo for the AFC Championship Game, this Super Bowl legend was knocked out of a close game, so who knows how he would have affected the outcome, a 30-13 KC loss. This three-time Super Bowl MVP ended his career in 1994 with 3,283 yards and 16 touchdowns and another playoff appearance. In his final career game, a Wild Card loss at Miami, Joe went out fighting with 314 passing yards, 2 TD passes, and a 102.8 passer rating. Joe Montana showed Kansas City in his two years there why he is an all-time NFL great, and that makes him one of the greatest quarterbacks ever for the Chiefs.

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Let’s play quizzo … in the 1999 NFL preseason, what St. Louis Rams quarterback’s season-ending injury led to a tearful Dick Vermeil press conference and the subsequent rise of Kurt Warner? That man was Trent Green, who ended up being one of the greatest quarterbacks in Kansas City Chiefs history. Vermeil liked Green so much that he brought him to KC after leaving the Rams. From 2001 to 2005, this former eighth-round pick had 3,600+ passing yards and 17+ TD tosses every season. In fact, Trent topped 4,000 yards in each of those last three years. He had a respectable 48-40 record as the Chiefs signal-caller. In 2003, Green led KC to a 13-3 record as they led the league in ppg (30.3), but they lost in the Divisional Round to Peyton and the Colts 38-31. If you check the all-time team records, this two-time Pro Bowler sits third in some important stats: passing yards (21,459), passing TDs (118), completion % (61.9), and passer rating (87.3). When Trent Green got his chance in Kansas City, he delivered a potent offense and became an all-time quarterback for the Chiefs.

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Once upon a time, Alex Smith was the first overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. After a successful stint with the 49ers, Smith became Andy Reid’s first quarterback in Kansas City and one of the best ever for the Chiefs. In five seasons, the predecessor of Patrick Mahomes had a 50-26 regular-season record and got the Chiefs to the postseason four times. Unfortunately for Alex and Chiefs Kingdom, they suffered four playoff defeats by a combined 11 points. As a Chief, this Utah product had a completion % of 65.1 and five straight years of at least 3,200 yards passing. This QB’s most impressive KC stat may be his shiny TD to INT ratio of 102/33. In 2017, while mentoring some young QB, #11 led the NFL in passer rating (104.7). Although the Chiefs didn’t win a Lombardi Trophy with Alex Smith, his steady play helped lay a foundation for future success, and that makes him one of the top quarterbacks of all time for the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Way before Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs had their original OG at quarterback: Len Dawson. This Hall of Famer won three AFL titles and Super Bowl IV for the Chiefs. Before the NFL and AFL officially merged in 1970, Lenny the Cool was one of the best QBs in AFL history. He led this high-flying league in completion % seven times, passer rating six times, passing TDs four times, and Y/A three times. His first title actually came in 1962 as a Dallas Texan (the year before they rebranded as the Kansas City Chiefs). In that double-OT victory, Len had a 105.7 passer rating to vanquish the Houston Oilers. Of course, this former host of Inside the NFL got KC to Super Bowl I where they lost to Lombardi’s Packers. The Chiefs and their QB got redemption in Super Bowl IV when they controlled the Vikings in a 23-7 victory. Dawson was the game’s MVP with a TD toss, a 71 completion %, and a 90.8 passer rating. The Chiefs current signal-caller has surpassed #16 in KC’s all-time passing yards, passing touchdowns, and QB wins. Although Kansas City has a record-setting man behind center presently, Len Dawson was their original superstar quarterback and is one of the greatest Chiefs ever.

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When you have entered the GOAT conversation prior to age 30, you are a fairly decent quarterback. We are obviously referring to Patrick Mahomes … very possibly the top quarterback of all time for the Kansas City Chiefs. His career regular-season record is 95-31, and he has reached at least the AFC Championship Game in seven of his eight years as the KC starting QB. Of course, this man already has three Super Bowl titles, and he was the Super Bowl MVP in each win. In fact, he led the Chiefs back from double digits in every one of those championships. Listen to these almost-fairytale career playoff numbers: 5,814 passing yards, 46 TDs to only 10 INTs, a 67.7 completion %, and a 105.4 passer rating. This State Farm pitch man also has two NFL MVPs (2018 and 2022) and six Pro Bowl invites. His average of 285.2 passing yards per game is the highest mark in NFL history. We know about his magical throwing arm, but you must remember his escapability and penchant for game-altering runs. Just watch video from the 2019 AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl LVII to verify that. We only have one paragraph, so the praise of Patrick and endless stats must end here, but by most accounts he has entrenched himself as the top quarterback ever for the Kansas City Chiefs.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025 at 12:33 pm and is filed under NFL History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.