Who is the greatest Chiefs player to wear No. 1?

A number is never just a number. It's a time capsule. Crack one open and you might find a clutch performer, a team legend, a replacement player, or a draft bust. Nearly every Kansas City Chiefs number includes some of each, along with long-overlooked stories and debates worth having.

Arrowhead Addict is working through every Chiefs number, from 1-99. Let's start at the top.

The Best: Xavier Worthy

"How is Xavier Worthy already the best to wear a number?" The shelves aren't exactly stocked here, but we're starting at No. 1, and even after an injury-plagued second season, Worthy has already racked up enough career production to take over the top spot from anyone else—you'll see the rest of the list in a minute. The truth is that Worthy is likely going to end up far and away the best player on this list, which would bode well for the Chiefs' offense heading into 2026.

Some Chiefs fans might look at Worthy's limited production (and the overall offensive frustrations) of 2025 and shrug, but if anyone deserves a mulligan on the disappointment, it's Worthy. A collision with Travis Kelce on the third offensive play of the season tore his labrum, and while playing through that injury, he dealt with ankle issues as the season progressed.

Let's not forget that Worthy came on very strong at the end of his rookie season, a sign that he was growing into a vital contributor with 19 catches for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns in the team's postseason run.

The Runner-Up: Jerick McKinnon

If you feel the inclination to put McKinnon atop this list, we understand. After witnessing his unexpected heroics in 2021-22—which include a legendary late-game slide to keep the clock running against the Eagles in a Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles—McKinnon will never have to buy a drink in Kansas City again.

For the sake of review, McKinnon landed in K.C. as another castaway back (note how often this happened before Kenneth Walker's arrival in '26) and racked up a mere 169 yards from scrimmage in his first regular season with the team. Imagine the surprise, then, when McKinnon became a vital offensive cog for the next three postseason games, startling fans with 315 total yards and another touchdown, even as the Chiefs came up short against the Bengals.

McKinnon continued to serve as a vital offensive component next season with 9 receiving touchdowns, but the postseason magic was gone with Isiah Pacheco's emergence in the ground game. McKinnon would still enjoy two championship runs with K.C. in 2022-23, but he's not played a snap in the NFL since.

The Record Scratch: Warren Moon

"Wait, is that the Warren Moon?" Yes, it is. As one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, it's completely understandable if Chiefs fans forgot that Moon spent his last two seasons languishing on the team's depth chart in 1999 and 2000. The nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time CFL MVP was nothing more than insurance behind Elvis Grbac in his twilight, with a single loss to the Chargers to his credit with K.C. But at the very least, the Chiefs can technically claim another legend once wore the uniform.

The Lone Pro Bowler: Bob Grupp

Looking for a nice bit of trivia? The only player to ever win a Pro Bowl while wearing No. 1 for the Chiefs is a punter. The New York Jets selected Grupp in the 1977 NFL Draft's seventh round out of Duke, but he wouldn't play a single NFL snap until surfacing with Kansas City in 1979. He was named a Pro Bowler that season, which helped him hold onto the role for another two years before moving on to the USFL.

The Wrong Teamer: Lawrence Tynes

If this was a New York Giants list, Tynes would receive several paragraphs praising his clutch efforts for two Super Bowl-winning teams (XLII, XLVI). In fact, the team ranked him at No. 91 on the all-time Top 100 Giants. His three seasons with the Chiefs, however, are easily overlooked, but that's not his fault. Most years felt that way in the mid-2000s.

The Deep Cut: Noland Smith

Before there was Dante Hall or Tamarick Vanover, there was Noland Smith. Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt nicknamed him "Super Gnat," given his stature as the lightest player in the AFL/NFL—he weighed just over 150 pounds! Such a slight frame has always had a near-impossible time with success at the professional level, but the Chiefs felt the bet was worth a sixth-round pick on Smith after looking at his special teams success at Tennessee State, where he had 9 punt return touchdowns in his career.

As it turned out, they were right because Smith held the record for longest return TD for decades with his epic 106-yard run back against the Chicago Bears in his rookie season (1967). He would hold that record until Knile Davis had a sensational 108-yard touchdown return in 2013. Smith added a kick return for a touchdown the next season, but would ultimately fade from the NFL after three seasons.

Et Cetera

• Matt Stevens, QB - The NFLPA actually went on strike for three games during the 1987 season, and Stevens was the Chiefs' replacement quarterback in that stretch. He didn't win a game.
• Mike Adamle, RB - If you know Adamle's name, it's likely from his tenure as host of American Gladiators or as an announcer for the WWE. But before any of that, he enjoyed (strong word there) a two-year stint in the Chiefs' backfield before catching on with the Jets and Bears.
• Tom Pennington, K - Hit two of his five field-goal attempts back when the Chiefs were the Dallas Texans.

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