Some numbers have a strange history with the Kansas City Chiefs—not only for who wore it, but in the instance of No. 8, for those who didn't wear it as well. No one wore the number before 1980, but from the beginning, a kicker made it great, and then quarterbacks sullied the legacy. And there's also one of the most improbable stat lines in Chiefs history. Here's the odd array of players who have ever worn the No. 8 for Kansas City.
The complete history of Chiefs players to wear No. 8
The OMG Stat Line: Billy Joe Tolliver
Billy Joe Tolliver enjoyed a fine nine-year career in the NFL and another three seasons in the CFL, so there are chapters much more impressive and robust than the one he put up with the Chiefs in 1997, During a season in which Elvis Grbac was injured and Rich Gannon apparently needed to take a few snaps off, Tolliver attempted one pass. He completed that pass. It went for negative-8 yards. That is the sum of the Billy Joe Tolliver experience for Chiefs Kingdom.
The Competent Quarterback: Kyle Orton
Speaking of QBs with short stints at Arrowhead, Kyle Orton only played in three games with the Chiefs in 2011, but it's definitely worth mentioning here. For those who remember, seeing Orton under center during the disastrous downfall that would lead to a complete organizational meltdown, Orton represented a ray of light—a reminder of this is what quarterbacks look like in a year where Tyler Palko was starting games.
Orton went 2-1 as a starter after being claimed on waivers for the Chiefs, but it wasn't enough. The darkness was too overwhelming and 2012 would get even worse. Orton would go on to sign a three-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency the following spring.
The Confusing Cornerback: Kristian Fulton
A quick step-by-step guide to (trying to) understand the Kristian Fulton situation:
- Sign a guy to a two-year contract worth up to $20 million at a position of need
- Leave him as a healthy scratch for most of his first season.
- Watch nearly everyone around him on the depth chart leave in a single offseason
- Still question whether or not he'll have a meaningful spot on the roster
We don't get it either, but he's still around, and Chiefs Kingdom can only hope that Fulton earns a significant role since he's a rare holdover at corner (and making so much money).
The Best: Nick Lowery
If you're wondering why this list skews rather young, it's because no member of the Kansas City Chiefs roster ever donned the No. 8 through the 1970s. That's two decades of franchise history that includes championships in the AFL and NFL without anyone wearing it. That has helped clear a very obvious path to glory here for kicker Nick Lowery—not that he needed any help.
If not for Jan Stenerud, Lowery's name would be the one Harrison Butker has to hear all the time as the best kicker in Chiefs history. The three-time All-Pro would serve as the Chiefs' premier specialist for 14 seasons with incredible strength that could reach distances that so few others in his era could. Lowery led the NFL in longest field goal four separate times in that stretch, yet was also the league's most accurate kicker—per FG percentage—in three of those seasons. A perfect blend of power and reliability.
Et Cetera
- Matt Moore, QB - Became a short-lived hero when both Patrick Mahomes and Chad Henne were injured in 2019 to keep the offense moving at a vulnerable time.
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR - A mid-season deal for Hopkins to improve the offense in 2024 brought a long-rumored connection to fruition, but it failed to yield the hoped-for dividends toward a three-peat run.
- Morten Andersen, K - Likely deserves more than an anecdote here, but the seven-time Pro Bowler doesn't need any celebration here. We've written too much about kickers already.
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