The Kansas City Chiefs have won four Super Bowls in franchise history, a mark that ties the team for fifth all-time.
Only two quarterbacks, though, have captured the NFL’s top team prize. It’s no surprise, then, that you’ll find those two at the top of this list of the five greatest Chiefs quarterbacks in history.
The other three, however, are the quarterbacks who helped Kansas City put itself in playoff position. And while that might seem like small potatoes for a club with four Super Bowls, the Chiefs have seen some dark times in team history, too.
5. Steve DeBerg (1988-1991)
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DeBerg played just four seasons with the Chiefs and they came toward the end of his career after spending four seasons in Tampa Bay, three in Denver and three in San Francisco.
Kansas City allowed DeBerg to be a regular starter for, really, the first full-time basis in his career. He took advantage, helping lead the Chiefs to the playoffs in his last two seasons.
It was in that penultimate year that DeBerg played his best season, throwing for 3,444 yards with 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and earning sixth in Most Valuable Player voting that year. DeBerg ranks sixth in franchise history in yards and touchdowns despite the short tenure.
4. Trent Green (2001-2006)
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Drafted in 1993, Green didn’t break into real duty in the NFL until 1998 when he was 28, having even spent time in the Canadian Football League, where he was cut by the British Columbia Lions in 1994.
He got a shot in Washington that year before latching on with St. Louis, where he was set to become the Rams’ starter before a knee injury in the preseason allowed another longshot, Kurt Warner, to establish himself.
But Green wasn’t done. The Rams traded him to Kansas City for the 2001 season and he played six seasons with the Chiefs, throwing for more than 21,000 yards with 118 touchdowns. Those totals rank him third in franchise history on both counts.
3. Alex Smith (2013-2017)
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Smith just won. Plain and simple. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft struggled in his first six seasons in the NFL with San Francisco before joining Kansas City in 2013.
The Chiefs never finished below .500 with him at the helm and set the stage for establishing the team as one of the NFL’s best.
Smith’s 50 wins rank third in team history, and his .659 winning percentage is second only to the man who replaced him (and the No. 1 on this list). He threw for 17,608 yards with 102 touchdowns against just 33 interceptions over his six strong years in which he made three Pro Bowls.
2. Len Dawson (1963-1975)
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It was only in 2025 that Dawson was overtaken as the Chiefs’ all-time winningest quarterback -- and he retired after 1975. He spent 14 years with Kansas City, his career spanning both the AFL and NFL, from 1963 until his retirement.
Most notably, Dawson led the Chiefs to Super Bowl I and the franchise’s first Super Bowl win in Super Bowl IV. For the latter, he was named MVP after beating the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7.
Dawson was a two-time first-team All-Pro who led the AFL in touchdowns four times and quarterback rating six times and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
1. Patrick Mahomes (2017-Present)
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Just nine seasons into his career, Mahomes already ranks 22nd in NFL history in touchdown passes. He’s a two-time MVP, six-time Pro Bowler, and three-time Super Bowl champ. Plus, he will have just turned 31 years old when the 2026 season gets underway.
Mahomes leads the franchise in just about every statistical passing category with almost 36,000 yards, 267 touchdown passes, and 95 wins. He’s a sure-fire Pro Football Hall of Famer when his career is finished, though, as good as he is, who knows when that time will come.
More Kansas City Chiefs Rankings
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