The top 10 free agents in Kansas City Chiefs history (OK, we cheated and made it 11)
.JPG "Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu scored on a pick-6 against the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson early in their Sept. 19 game at Baltimore.")
The Chiefs’ signing of safety Justin Reid increases the likelihood of Tyrann Mathieu’s departure.
And that would end the tenure of one of the franchise’s greatest free-agent signings.
Where would the decision to bring Mathieu to Kansas City three years ago stand among the best free-agent moves in the Chiefs’ 63-year history?
Mathieu is the Chiefs’ top free agent of the Andy Reid era, which started in 2013. He arrived in 2019 and his impact can be measured by two All-Pro selections, two Pro Bowl selections, a Super Bowl victory and another appearance in the championship game.
He’s been a leader on the field and in the locker room, posting three of the best years of his career.
Keep in mind that free agency in the NFL has evolved over the years — the league’s current form was established in the early 1990s. That period also introduced NFL teams to the salary cap. This list includes signings throughout free-agent history and those who were not drafted but signed with the Chiefs.
Many Chiefs greats were free-agent signings, including the team’s career leaders in passing, scoring and interceptions and second-leading rusher. Free agents played major rules in both Chiefs’ Super Bowl victories.
Let’s count down the best, the starting 11.
11. Damien Williams, running back, 2018-19
Williams’ stay with the Chiefs was short but eventful. His playing time increased in 2018 after KC released Kareem Hunt, and he posted the best season of his career in 2019 with 498 yards and five rushing touchdowns. But his biggest contributions came in the postseason. In five playoff games with the Chiefs, Williams scored 10 touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter of their Super Bowl LIV comeback victory.
10. Nick Lowery, kicker, 1980-93
Lowery’s task: Replace Jan Stenerud, who would become the first full-time kicker to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Chiefs signed Lowery, who had been cut 11 times by different teams before catching on with the Chiefs. He spent 14 years in Kansas City and remains the franchise’s scoring leader. He retired as the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
9. Tony Richardson, fullback, 1995-2005
An undrafted free agent from Auburn, Richardson was signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 1994 and spent the season on their practice squad. The Chiefs signed him in 1995, and Richardson was selected to three Pro Bowls, was named to the NFL’s all-2000s decade team and won the Walter Payton Award. Quite a productive decade in KC.
8. Casey Wiegmann, center 2001-07 and 2010-11
Wiegmann spent his first four NFL seasons with the New York Jets and Chicago Bears before signing a four-year, $7 million deal with the Chiefs. He became a consistent force on the line that included Will Shields, Willie Roaf, Brian Waters and John Tait. Over two stints with the Chiefs, Wiegmann started 143 games.
7. Brian Waters, guard, 2000-10
Another undrafted free agent who originally signed with the Cowboys, Waters was picked up by the Chiefs in 2000 and contributed to the most dominant offensive lines in team history. He was first team All-Pro twice and was selected for five Pro Bowls. He’s also a Walter Payton Award winner.
6. Marcus Allen, running back, 1993-97
General manager Carl Peterson’s remaking of the Chiefs included a star power infusion in 1993. First, he engineered a trade that landed quarterback Joe Montana. Then he signed Allen, who had had five Pro Bowl seasons with the Raiders, to a series of three one-year contracts. Allen led the Chiefs in rushing in four of his five years here and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 1993.
5. Deron Cherry, safety, 1981-91
The 1981 draft went 12 rounds and made pros of 332 players ... but Cherry, a free safety and punter at Rutgers, somehow wasn’t on the list. As an undrafted rookie free agent, he nonetheless became a starter in his third season, and by the end of his 11-year career — all with the Chiefs — he’d been selected to six Pro Bowls and made All-Pro first team three times. He ranks third on the franchise’s career interception list with 50.
4. Tyrann Mathieu, safety, 2019-21
The Chiefs overhauled their defense after their 2018 season ended with an AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots. Mathieu, who had spent his first six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans, was the most important piece of that defense. The team’s scoring defense went from being ranked 24th in 2018 to top 10 the past three seasons. He was signed for three years, $42 million and became one of the best investments in franchise history.
3. Priest Holmes, running back, 2001-07
After winning a Super Bowl with the Baltmore Ravens, Holmes signed a five-year, $11.7 million contract with the Chiefs and earned every penny of it. He immediately produced one of the best three-year stretches in NFL history, with 4,590 yards and 56 touchdowns. He averaged 2,188 yards from scrimmage in that span and still ranks as the second-leading rusher in Chiefs history, behind only fellow Texas Longhorn product Jamaal Charles.
2. Emmitt Thomas, cornerback, 1966-78
An undrafted free agent from Bishop College in Texas, Thomas became a Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl selection. His 58 career interceptions are the most in Chiefs history and rank 12th all-time in the NFL. In 2008, Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He retired from his job as the Chiefs’ defensive backs coach after the 2018 season.
1. Len Dawson, quarterback, 1962-75
The Pittsburgh Steelers made Dawson the fifth overall draft pick in 1957 but then traded for Bobby Layne. Dawson was dealt to the Cleveland Browns, but he couldn’t supplant Milt Plum.
Dawson’s career was going nowhere when he was reunited with an assistant coach from his Purdue days, Dallas Texans coach Hank Stram, in 1962. “All he needs is a chance,” Stram said at the time.
Dawson led the Texans’ to the AFL championship that season, and his ascension continued when the team moved to Kansas City the following year. The Chiefs won two more AFL championships and Super Bowl IV, with Dawson the latter game’s MVP. He was the quarterback for the most successful franchise in AFL history.
“Lenny the Cool” remains the Chiefs’ leader in passing yards (28,507) and touchdown passes (237) ... and the greatest free-agent signing in team history.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.