List of Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterbacks

For more information on Chiefs quarterbacks, see History of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks.

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. In 1963, the team moved to Kansas City, Missouri and were renamed the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs have had 33 starting quarterbacks in their franchise's history.[1][2][3] Cotton Davidson was the team's first starting quarterback; he played all 14 games for the Texans in their inaugural 1960 season.[1] Davidson played with the franchise from 1960 to 1962,[4] and was traded in 1963 to the Oakland Raiders.[5] Len Dawson signed with on July 2, 1962 and played for the franchise for 14 seasons.[5][6] With Dawson as the team's starter, the Texans/Chiefs won three American Football League championships and appeared in two Super Bowl championship games.[6] Dawson was named Most Valuable Player after the Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl IV and retired in 1975 with several franchise records.[6][7] Three future Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees played for Kansas City: Dawson, Joe Montana, and Warren Moon. In the 2008 season, the Chiefs started three quarterbacks: Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard, and Tyler Thigpen.[8][9][10][11][12] After Croyle and Huard were sidelined by injuries, Thigpen played in eleven games, winning one and losing ten. In 2009 and 2010, Matt Cassel started 15 of 16 games each season, while Croyle started the other 2 games.

Starting quarterbacks by season

Alex Smith has been the team's starter since 2013
Chase Daniel started one game each in 2014 and 2015
Matt Cassel's 15 starts in 2009 were the most for one Chiefs starting quarterback since Trent Green's complete season in 2005.
Tyler Thigpen was the third different starting quarterback for the Chiefs in the 2008 season.[11]
Damon Huard (left) and Brodie Croyle (right) split the starting quarterback duties in the 2007 season.
Trent Green was the team's starter from 2001 to 2006
Elvis Grbac (#11) in huddle
Len Dawson started games for the Chiefs from 1962 to 1975

The number of games started in the season by each player is listed in small parentheses. Statistics do not include post-season starts.

Season Quarterback(s) Reference(s)
Kansas City Chiefs since 1963
2016 Alex Smith (11) / Nick Foles (1) [13]
2015 Alex Smith (16) [14]
2014 Alex Smith (15) / Chase Daniel (1) [15]
2013 Alex Smith (15) / Chase Daniel (1) [16]
2012 Matt Cassel (8) / Brady Quinn (8)[17]
2011 Matt Cassel (9) / Tyler Palko (4) / Kyle Orton (3)[18]
2010 Matt Cassel (15) / Brodie Croyle (1)[19]
2009 Matt Cassel (15) / Brodie Croyle (1) [20]
2008[e] Brodie Croyle (3) / Tyler Thigpen (11) / Damon Huard (2) [8][12][21]
2007 Brodie Croyle (10) / Damon Huard (6) [22][23]
2006 Trent Green (8) / Damon Huard (8) [24][25]
2005 Trent Green (16) [26]
2004 Trent Green (16) [27]
2003 Trent Green (16) [28]
2002 Trent Green (16) [29]
2001 Trent Green (16) [30][31]
2000 Elvis Grbac (15) / Warren Moon (1) [2][32][33]
1999 Elvis Grbac (16) [34]
1998 Rich Gannon (10) / Elvis Grbac (6) [35]
1997 Elvis Grbac (10) / Rich Gannon (6) [2][36][37]
1996 Steve Bono (13) / Rich Gannon (3) [2][38][39]
1995 Steve Bono (16) [40]
1994 Joe Montana (14) / Steve Bono (2) [2][41][42]
1993 Joe Montana (11) / Dave Krieg (5) [2][43][44]
1992 Dave Krieg (16) [2][45][46]
1991 Steve DeBerg (15) / Mark Vlasic (1) [2][47][48]
1990 Steve DeBerg (16) [49]
1989 Steve DeBerg (10) / Ron Jaworski (3) / Steve Pelluer (3) [2][50][51][52]
1988 Steve DeBerg (11) / Bill Kenney (5) [2][53][54]
1987[b][d] Bill Kenney (8) / Todd Blackledge (2) / Matt Stevens (2)
Frank Seurer (2) / Doug Hudson (1)
[2][55][56][57][58]
1986 Bill Kenney (8) / Todd Blackledge (8) [59]
1985 Todd Blackledge (6) / Bill Kenney (10) [60]
1984 Todd Blackledge (8) / Bill Kenney (8) [2][61][62]
1983 Bill Kenney (16) [63]
1982[b] Bill Kenney (6) / Steve Fuller (3) [64]
1981 Bill Kenney (13) / Steve Fuller (3) [65]
1980 Steve Fuller (13) / Bill Kenney (3) [2][66][67]
1979 Steve Fuller (12) / Mike Livingston (4) [2][68][69]
1978[a] Mike Livingston (14) / Tony Adams (2) [70]
1977 Mike Livingston (11) / Tony Adams (3) [71][72]
1976 Mike Livingston (14) [73]
1975 Mike Livingston (7) / Len Dawson (5) / Tony Adams (2) [2][74]
1974 Len Dawson (8) / Mike Livingston (6) [75]
1973 Mike Livingston (8) / Len Dawson (6) [76]
1972 Len Dawson (12) / Mike Livingston (2) [77]
1971 Len Dawson (13) / Mike Livingston (1) [78]
1970 Len Dawson (12) / Mike Livingston (2) [79]
1969 Len Dawson (7) / Jacky Lee (1) / Mike Livingston (6) [80][81]
1968 Len Dawson (13) / Jacky Lee (1) [82][83]
1967 Len Dawson (14) [84]
1966 Len Dawson (14) [85]
1965 Len Dawson (12) / Pete Beathard (2) [86][87]
1964 Len Dawson (14) [88]
1963 Len Dawson (13) / Eddie Wilson (1) [89][90]
Dallas Texans 1960 - 1962
1962 Len Dawson (14) [91][92]
1961 Cotton Davidson (12) / Randy Duncan (2) [93][94]
1960 Cotton Davidson (13) / Hunter Enis (1) [4][95][96]

Most games as starting quarterback

Name Kyle Staub
GP Games played
GS Games started
W Number of wins as starting quarterback
L Number of losses as starting quarterback
T Number of ties as starting quarterback
Pct Winning Percentage as starting quarterback
Name GP GS W L T Pct
Dawson, LenLen Dawson 18315894568.620
Green, TrentTrent Green 888848400.545
Kenney, BillBill Kenney 1067734430.442
Livingston, MikeMike Livingston 907530431.412
DeBerg, SteveSteve DeBerg 575231201.606
Grbac, ElvisElvis Grbac 494726210.553
Cassel, MattMatt Cassel 484719280.404
Smith, AlexAlex Smith 464630160.652
Fuller, SteveSteve Fuller 523113180.419
Bono, SteveSteve Bono 373121100.677
Davidson, CottonCotton Davidson 282512130.480

Most Touchdowns

These quarterbacks have the most touchdowns in the Chiefs history.

NamePeriodStartsPassing TDRushing TDTotal TD
1Len Dawson 1962–1975 158 237 9 246
2Trent Green 2001–2006 88 111 3 114
3Bill Kenney 1980–1988 77 105 5 110
4Alex Smith 2013–2016 54 68 5 73
5Elvis Grbac 1997–2000 47 66 2 68

Notes

a : Since the 1978 NFL season, all teams have played 16-game schedules.[97]
b : Strikes by the National Football League Players Association in the 1982 and 1987 seasons resulted in shortened seasons (9 and 15-game schedules, respectively).[98]
d : Replacement quarterbacks Matt Stevens, Frank Seurer, and Doug Hudson started for the Chiefs alongside Kenney and Blackledge following the NFL Players Association strike in 1987. For the only time in team history, five different quarterbacks started in 1987 following the player's strike.[2][55][99]
e : By Week 3 of the 2008 season, Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard, and Tyler Thigpen had all started one game each.[8] Both Croyle and Huard suffered injuries in their respective starts in Weeks 1 and 2.[8][10] Thigpen started the Chiefs' Week 3 game against the Falcons,[11] Huard started in Weeks 4 and 5. Croyle returned to start in Week 7 and suffered a season-ending knee injury.[12] Both Croyle and Huard were placed on injured reserve following the game, leading to Thigpen's second start, against the Jets in Week 8.[100] Thigpen was the starting quarterback through the remainder of the season.

References

General
  • Herb, Patrick, Kuhbander, Brad, Looney, Josh, and Moris, Pete, eds. 2008 Kansas City Chiefs Media Guide, Kansas City Chiefs Football Club, Inc., 2008
Specific
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  48. "Mark Vlasic". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
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  56. "Matt Stevens". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  57. "Frank Seurer". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  58. "Doug Hudson". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
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