The folks at ESPN compiled an “All-Quarter Century Team” last week, and unsurprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs were well-represented.
The list – which included 53 total players (organized in a "depth chart"), three coordinators and a head coach – featured the following current and former Chiefs:
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (No. 3 QB)
Running Back Priest Holmes (No. 1 RB)
Tight End Travis Kelce (No. 2 TE)
Tight End Tony Gonzalez (No. 3 TE)
Defensive End Jared Allen (No. 2 EDGE)
Defensive Tackle Chris Jones (No. 3 DT)
Cornerback Darrelle Revis (No. 1 CB)
Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub
The Chiefs were one of just two teams, joining San Francisco, to feature four current representatives on the list in Mahomes, Kelce, Jones and Toub.
Still just 29 years old, Mahomes – who checked in as the team's third quarterback behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning – already has five AFC titles and three Super Bowl championships on his resume. His 17 career postseason wins trail only Brady among all quarterbacks, and he owns the league marks for passing yards (32,352) and passing touchdowns (245) through 112 career games in NFL history.
Mahomes' favorite target throughout the years has been Kelce, whose nine-consecutive seasons with at least 80 receptions are the most of any player – regardless of position – in league history. Additionally, only Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten racked up more catches and receiving yards at the tight end position than Kelce. He slotted in just behind Rob Gronkowski on ESPN's squad.
On the other side of the ball, Jones landed behind only Aaron Donald and Calais Campbell as the third defensive tackle listed. Here's what Aaron Schatz, who helped assemble the team, wrote about Jones:
"In the end, we asked ourselves this: Who would we choose if we needed to win one big game? So we went with the player who anchored a defense for three championship teams.
If Aaron Donald didn't exist, Jones would have ranked first in pass rush win rate at defensive tackle for five consecutive seasons (2020-24). In two of those seasons, he also ranked first in double-team rate at defensive tackle."
The final current member of the Chiefs to earn a spot on the list was Toub, whose efforts have directly contributed to multiple Super Bowl titles for Kansas City. Here's more from Seth Walder, who also helped compile ESPN's team:
"Toub holds one of the most impressive streaks a coach can have. He coordinated a top-five special teams unit in every season from 2006 (when ESPN's efficiency ratings began) to 2017, including the postseason. That completely absurd streak -- almost impossible considering the fickle nature of special teams -- was broken in 2018 when Toub's Chiefs finished ... sixth in the category."
As for the former players that made it, Holmes was rightfully recognized for one of the most dominant runs by any player in NFL history from 2001 through 2003. Holmes racked up a whopping 6,566 scrimmage yards and 61 total touchdowns across 46 games in that span, becoming one of just four players in NFL history to log three-straight seasons with 2,000+ scrimmage yards.
Holmes was off to a stellar start in 2004, too, with 1,079 scrimmage yards through just seven games before suffering a season-ending injury. It was an abrupt ending to a legendary run, but while brief, Holmes' complete dominance during the early years of the century earned him the "starting" running back role on ESPN's team.
Gonzalez, who owns the all-time NFL marks for catches (1,325) and receiving yards (15,127) by a tight end, also landed on the team behind just Gronkowski and Kelce.
Allen, whose 43 sacks during his time with the Chiefs from 2004-07 ranked second in the NFL, earned a spot as the team's second edge-rusher. Lastly, Revis – who spent part of one season with the Chiefs in 2017 – checked in as the squad's No. 1 cornerback.
For a look at the complete team, click here.
