Ranking every Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback since 1990

14. Matt Moore (2019)

Matt Moore had good reason to believe his career was over before he heard from the Chiefs.

During the summer of 2019, Moore was already one full season out of the NFL, with another year ready to start. He’d practiced his last reps with the Miami Dolphins at the conclusion of the 2017 season, and being clearly in his mid-thirties likely wasn’t helping his stock at all. Moore had taken a position as an assistant coach for a high school football team when Brett Veach came calling. Moore’s name was on a shortlist for the position, and the Chiefs were in need of some help.

For the Chiefs, the loss of Chad Henne to injury late in training camp brought myriad questions with it, knowing that Mahomes was great but also young. Instead of leaning on Chase Litton or Kyle Shurmur, the Chiefs decided to keep both sidelined by importing another veteran to be Mahomes’ primary backup.

Moore would end up staying for a couple of seasons in Kansas City, and they were good ones. Moore would win a Super Bowl ring with the team in his first year, and some of that success should be credited to him as he filled in admirably for Mahomes at midseason—first in a close loss to the Green Bay Packers and then in a gutsy win over the Minnesota Vikings. In both games, Moore played well enough to keep the Chiefs competitive, and fans were pleased with the results.

Moore was nothing more than depth during the insanity of a COVID-affected 2020 season, but his veteran presence was so helpful in a pinch when the Chiefs needed it.