There's no surprise here, and any teasing would only insult you. We've arrived at No. 15 in our journey to figure out the best player to ever wear each number—1 to 99—in Kansas City Chiefs history, and our primary subject is not only the greatest quarterback in the National Football League right now but he's also the best player to ever wear a Chiefs uniform. That kinda sorta removes any mystery to the piece.
But we're okay with that. Patrick Mahomes' greatness is something we're happy to celebrate at any point, and if it robs us of a debate, that's a price we're willing to pay. And honestly, No. 15 needed some help because the ones who wore the jersey before Mahomes weren't exactly anyone that Chiefs Kingdom wanted to parade around.
The complete history of Chiefs players to wear No. 15
The Best: Patrick Mahomes
Canton called a long, long time ago.
Patrick Mahomes' résumé is the kind you build an entire wing around at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It starts with the three championship rings, including the Chiefs' first title in 50 years. In those three Super Bowls, Mahomes won the MVP award every time, giving him the hardware to join his two regular-season MVP awards as well. He's one of two quarterbacks to ever post a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown season (Peyton Manning being the other). The six Pro Bowls. The two-time first-team All-Pro mentions. The numerous records on a team and league-wide level. And he accomplished all of this before the age of 30.
The Disappearing Act: Steve Breaston
Steve Breaston is the best non-Mahomes player to ever wear No. 15, but his stint in K.C. is known more for his unintended disappearing act than anything else.
Breaston arrived in 2011 as a slot receiver coming off four productive years in Arizona, where he'd been the third weapon in a dynamic WR corps alongside Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. He posted a 1,006-yard season during the Cardinals' Super Bowl run in 2010, and the Chiefs gave him a five-year, $22.5 million deal to play alongside Dwayne Bowe. Coming to the Chiefs reunited him with Todd Haley, who was his positional coach in Arizona.
The first year was solid, with 61 catches for 785 yards and 2 touchdowns. But instead of building on that first season, Breaston's career took a wild turn in 2012 after the Chiefs fired Haley. Despite playing for a two-win team that needed help everywhere, Breaston played in only 10 games, started 4 of tehm, and finished with a meager 7 catches for the entire season. No one could explain the benching, and even a year later, Breaston admitted in an interview that he didn't even know what went wrong.
By the time Andy Reid and John Dorsey took over in 2013, Breaston was released from his deal and he was picked up by the New Orleans Saints. However, he was cut before active rosters were due and Breaston has been away from the game ever since.
The Hometown DB Conversion: Kerry Reardon
Before Mahomes made the number untouchable, Kerry Reardon was the answer to "who wore it best" at No. 15. The Rockhurst graduate was a converted wide receiver from Iowa drafted in the sixth round in 1971 and turned into a defensive back. Reardon spent his entire six-year career with the Chiefs, working his way from rotational corner to full-time starter at corner in his final season. He was a steady contributor on the lean post-Super Bowl IV rosters, and for a very long time that was enough to make him the standard at No. 15.
Et Cetera
- Mike Mercer, K - One-year stopgap at kicker for the Chiefs in 1966 who went on to make the Pro Bowl the following year for Buffalo.
- A.J. Jenkins, WR - The return in the Jonathan Baldwin player-for-player swap from the 49ers had 17 catches for 223 yards.
- Verran Tucker, WR - Caught on with the Chiefs as a rookie free agent in 2010 and became a rarely-used target with special teams value.
- Todd Collins, QB - Held the clipboard behind Trent Green for five seasons in KC from 2001-05.
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