The best Kansas City Chiefs to ever wear the uniform: No. 10

In this special offseason series, we analyze the best players in Kansas City Chiefs history to wear every single uniform number. Here’s No. 10.

My family recently took a trip to Switzerland for 15 days. Super cheap tickets were secured six months in advance and what seemed like a trip too expensive to take turned into something we could handle.

Then came the travel.

There was the 3 hour drive to Chicago. There was the initial flight to Washington D.C. Then there was the 8 hour flight to Geneva. Even after exiting the last plane, we had to wait an hour in line to secure our travel passes and then learn how/where to find the right train, which led to the first bus, which took us to our second bus, which then dropped us off for the final 20 minute walk to the place we were staying. I’m tired just thinking about it again.

But when we were there… oh, it was so worth it.

You pack and board and fly and ride and move and wait and search and look and walk and ask and walk some more and then you finally arrive and that moment is worth every bit of it. It was a trip of a lifetime and I’m so grateful for the chance to go.

That’s a bit like this series for me. We’ve waded through the numbers that really have no one good attached to them for a while now. We’re only at No. 10 but we’ve slogged through some depressing numbers, uniforms for which the Chiefs have honestly never had a single good player. Some have been mediocre. Others have been pitiful.

But now at No. 10, well, let’s just say it’s worth the journey. We are here. We have arrived. And this is nice.

The Others

Compared to the dregs of previous uniform numbers for the Kansas City Chiefs, even some of the “other” candidates here will provide a breath of fresh air:

Pete Stoyanovich was a solid kicker over the course of five years in K.C. who enjoyed a remarkable year in ’97 when he made 96% of his field goal attempts. He even finished his stint in K.C. with 5 of 6 makes from beyond 50 yards.
Terrance Copper was a nice special teams player for the Chiefs during Todd Haley’s coaching tenure.
Chase Daniel was the ideal back-up quarterback for the Chiefs, an option you trust in a pinch who actually has an unknown ceiling as a starter because he’s never really been given an opportunity (or seized one).
Mike Livingston was, well, a guy who started 75 games at quarterback for the Chiefs who was Bill Kenney before we had Bill Kenney, The lesson is simple: the Chiefs had putrid quarterback play for a good couple decades between Len Dawson and Trent Green. Even still Livingston, who went 31-43-1 as a starter, was better than the best who wore other uniform numbers.

The Runner-up: Tyreek Hill

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It’s getting increasingly hard to believe that the runner-up won’t eventually unseat the winner.

Tyreek Hill is truly a generational talent, a player who not only burst onto the scene as a Pro Bowl weapon for the Chiefs in all aspects of the game but one whose ascent continues on a rarely seen trajectory.

When Hill first came into the league, his record of domestic violence, low draft status and lack of pre-draft buzz made everyone overlook him—including Chiefs Kingdom. Yet when Hill got on the field, it was clear that his top end speed was only a part of the overall package, one that was incredibly dangerous in space. He was also a hard worker and competitor who could rise to the level of competition and still outplay his colleagues despite coming into the NFL from the Gulf South Conference.

Hill has not only silenced his doubters, but he also silenced every other label anyone has attempted to place upon him. Tavon Austin comparisons are long gone. Anyone who used the term “gadget” to describe Hill has also left the scene. Then last year, when springtime made more trolls bloom who said Hill couldn’t make the transition to No. 1 receiver, the West Alabama product responded in kind with another Pro Bowl season marked by 1,183 receiving yards and a clear ability to score on any given play.

At this point, Hill can be anything that he wants. He’s learning the route tree. He’s entering his third full season in Reid’s complicated offense. He’s becoming a leader on the field and focusing on the nuances to round out his game. It would be a minor letdown if he wasn’t considered a Top 10 wide receiver in the NFL after this coming year.

The Winner: Trent Green

It’s nice to have a winner who truly feels like a winner.

Trent Green is the favorite quarterback of all-time for many in Chiefs Kingdom and for good reason. His career record of 48-40 in red and gold includes two Pro Bowl seasons, a magical year when the Chiefs went 13-3 and several years of a very exciting offense.

It’s hard to believe that Green never started a professional game until he was 28-years-old, and even then his career was marred by injuries. It’s hard not to think about how much better he would have been had he been given a chance at 23 or 24 to take over a franchise and grow into his prime. He didn’t take over in K.C. until he was 31. (Interesting note for comparison: Patrick Mahomes is only 22.)

Green is not the best quarterback in Chiefs history by any means, but he is in the top five and provided stability and a potent offense for a franchise that needed it.

Next: The Best to Wear It: No. 9

Congratulations to Trent Green for being the greatest Chiefs player to ever wear the No. 10 on his uniform!

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