The Kansas City Chiefs are set to compete in their third Super Bowl in four years, and the fourth of the Patrick Mahomes era.
While the team has been no stranger to securing rings in recent seasons, some of the best players in the franchise’s history weren’t lucky enough to win gaudy hardware for their efforts in Western Missouri.
Some of the top players in NFL history ended their time in the league without a Super Bowl victory. Household names like Dan Marino, Brian Urlacher, Joe Thomas, and Champ Bailey were unable to secure their teams a championship despite putting together Hall of Fame-worthy careers.
Given Kansas City’s 50-plus-year Super Bowl drought between 1969 and 2020, many of the team’s top talents went without a ring by the time they hung up their cleats.
Check out our list of the best players in Chiefs history who never won a Super Bowl:
1. LB Derrick Thomas
Derrick Thomas is among the Chiefs’ most beloved players and may have been able to help win Kansas City a ring in the early aughts if his career wasn’t tragically cut short after his untimely death in 2000.
He wore No. 58 for the Chiefs, which hasn’t been worn since, and Kansas City’s roster is sure to be motivated by the chance to secure a Super Bowl LVIII (58) victory in his honor.
2. RB Jamaal Charles
Charles is a Chiefs legend and still holds the franchise record for total rushing yards. His phenomenal talent was one of the only bright spots in an otherwise putrid era of football in Kansas City during the late 2000s and into the 2010s.
If ever a Chief deserved to get a one-day contract to get a ring from a Super Bowl run, it is Charles.
3. TE Tony Gonzalez
Gonzalez is something of a polarizing figure in Kansas City after his departure from the Chiefs in 2009, but this list wouldn’t be complete without his inclusion. He is among Kansas City’s leading receivers in franchise history, and retired after the 2013 season as an Atlanta Falcon in the same year that Andy Reid took over as the Chiefs’ head coach.
4. DL Tamba Hali
Hali was with the Chiefs through thick and thin from 2006 until his retirement in 2017. He secured 89.5 sacks during his career in Kansas City, and is one of a rare breed, having played his entire career with the Chiefs.
One of the most dominant edge rushers of his era, teams are lucky that Kansas City doesn’t still have Hali harassing their quarterbacks.
5. QB Alex Smith
Perhaps no player has had as much of an impact on the Chiefs than Smith, who was instrumental in Kansas City’s rebuild from 2013 until 2018 when the team traded him to the then-Washington Football Team to make way for Patrick Mahomes.
As Mahomes’ mentor, Smith is widely regarded as one of the most crucial pieces to the 2022 MVP’s quick rise to dominance.
6. LB Derrick Johnson
Johnson was a mainstay of Chiefs defenses from 2005 until 2017 when Kansas City decided to part ways with him. His place as the Chiefs’ all-time leader in tackles won’t be usurped any time soon, and may prove to be one of the most impressive accomplishments in franchise history.
7. FB Christian Okoye
Okoye was an iconic piece of Kansas City’s roster in the late 80s and early 90s, a time when the fullback position was still commonly utilized. Nicknamed “The Nigerian Nightmare”, Okoye’s bruising running style was a sight to behold and may have translated well to the field in today’s game.
8. OL Will Shields
Shields is Kansas City’s franchise leader in approximate value, which quantifies (as best as possible) a player’s contribution to his team. The Hall of Fame lineman would have fit right in on the Chiefs’ current front-five and helped make holes for players like Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson to run through in the mid-90s and early 2000s.
9. DL Neil Smith
To fans of a certain age, Smith is the quintessential Chief. His dominance in Kansas City from 1988 until 1996 was otherworldly, and the grit he showed on gameday never ceased to impress onlookers whose jaws dropped at his athleticism and pass-rushing prowess.
10. DB Eric Berry
Berry was another of the Chiefs’ top players at a tough time to play in Kansas City. His savvy in the secondary was almost unbelievable, and the physicality Berry showed in laying the lumber on big hits made him a fan favorite early in his career as a first-round draft pick in 2010.
