History of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks Thirty - one quarterbacks have started for the National Football League ' s Kansas City Chiefs since their franchise began . The team has also had numerous backup quarterbacks that have stolen the spotlight from the starters . Under Len Dawson , the Texans / Chiefs won three American Football League championships and appeared in two Super Bowl championship games . Dawson was named Most Valuable Player following the Chiefs ' victory in Super Bowl IV . Dawson played a total of thirteen seasons with Kansas City and retired with many franchise records . Despite never having success in developing a quality quarterback of their own , the Chiefs have achieved success under many veteran quarterbacks , including Dave Krieg , Joe Montana , Elvis Grbac , and Trent Green . The Chiefs have struggled to draft and develop their own quarterback through the years , often relying on veteran leadership at the position . Brodie Croyle was the team ' s starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2008 season , but suffered an injury in the team ' s first game . In Croyle ' s absence , the Chiefs have used both Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen as the starter in alternating weeks . Croyle returned to start in Week 7 , and both he and Huard suffered season - ending injuries . History . Starting quarterbacks . The Chiefs have had many notable and established quarterbacks on their squad at different times . Hall of Famers Len Dawson and Joe Montana led the Chiefs in two successful eras and both led the team to playoff appearances in their first seasons . The franchise ' s first starter was Cotton Davidson , who started 25 games for the Texans before being traded in 1962 . Team owner Lamar Hunt traded Davidson to the Oakland Raiders for the first - overall selection in the 1963 AFL Draft . The franchise used that pick to select future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Buck Buchanan . In Davidson ' s absence , free agent quarterback Len Dawson signed with the team on July 2 , 1962 after spending a five - year career in the NFL with Pittsburgh and Cleveland . In Dallas , Dawson was rejoined with head coach Hank Stram who served as an assistant coach with Purdue , where Dawson played college football . In his first season with the Texans , Dawson led the team to a double - overtime victory over the Houston Oilers in the AFL Championship Game . The victory brought the team ' s first league championship . Len Dawson was the franchise ' s most successful quarterback , playing in 182 regular season games ( 158 starts ) for the Texans / Chiefs , and holds many franchise records . He was nicknamed " Lenny the Cool " for his calm composure on the field . Dawson completed 2 , 115 of 3 , 696 passes for 28 , 507 yards with 237 touchdowns and 92 interceptions , good for a 82 . 6 career rating . He ranks first in team history in pass attempts , completions , passing yards and touchdowns . He led the Chiefs to 94 regular season wins and three AFL titles . Dawson led the Chiefs to an appearance in the first AFL – NFL Championship Game ( later known as " Super Bowl I " ) against the Green Bay Packers . He was named MVP of Super Bowl IV when he directed Kansas City to a 23 – 7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings . Dawson was named to six AFL All - Star teams and one Pro Bowl squad , in addition to being named the AFL Player of the Year in 1962 . Dawson was also named the NFL Man of the Year in 1973 . Dawson threw a franchise record six touchdown passes against the Denver Broncos on November 1 , 1964 in a 49 – 39 victory . In 1966 , while still playing for the Chiefs , Dawson became the sports director and anchor for KMBC - TV , a local Kansas City ABC affiliate . As of 2009 , Dawson is still KMBC ' s sports director . He would practice and play for the Chiefs during the day and later help anchor news broadcasts at night . After retiring from the NFL in 1975 , Dawson began hosting " Inside the NFL " on HBO and worked network broadcasts for NBC . He joined the Chiefs ' radio broadcast team in 1984 and provides color commentary to game broadcasts . Bill Kenney was the team ' s starting quarterback in various times between 1980 and 1988 and compiled a 46 – 51 record . Kenney played behind a porous offensive line and holds the franchise record for most times sacked ( 195 ) . Kenney ' s All - Pro wide receiver teammate Carlos Carson said , " I don ' t care who you are , it ' s tough to throw a pass when you ' re lying on your back . " Kenney was selected to the 1984 Pro Bowl . After retiring from professional football , Kenney became a State Senator for the Missouri Senate . The Chiefs made a mistake in drafting quarterback Todd Blackledge in the 1983 NFL Draft believing that Blackledge was a better choice than Jim Kelly and Dan Marino . Blackledge never started a full season for Kansas City while Kelly and Marino played Hall of Fame careers . Blackledge started 24 total games in Kansas City , but inconsistent play led to him sharing time with Bill Kenney from 1984 – 1987 . In the 1987 season , the Chiefs used five starting quarterbacks for the only time in franchise history . Doug Hudson was the last quarterback drafted by the team to start a game until Brodie Croyle started in 2007 . In Hudson ' s only game , he was sacked in the endzone for a safety by the Denver Broncos ' Jim Ryan . The sack and fumble is the only recorded statistic for his career . In 1988 , the Chiefs traded two draft selections and safety Mark Robinson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for veteran quarterback Steve DeBerg . DeBerg spent four seasons with the Chiefs , leading the team to 2 postseason appearances ( in 1990 , he did so despite playing with a broken finger ) . DeBerg compiled 11 , 873 passing yards , 67 touchdowns and 50 interceptions with the Chiefs with a 81 . 8 passer rating . DeBerg ' s best year was 1990 with a 101 . 2 quarterback rating , passing for 3 , 444 yards , 23 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions . On April 21 , 1993 , Kansas City acquired quarterback Joe Montana , safety David Whitmore , and a third - round draft pick in the 1993 NFL Draft ( Will Shields ) by sending their first - round selection to the San Francisco 49ers . Montana had already agreed on a three - year , $ 10 million contract before getting traded . Montana would lead the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game for the first and to date only time in franchise history . He was also selected to the 1994 Pro Bowl . In 1994 , Montana led the Chiefs into Mile High Stadium to face John Elway and the Denver Broncos on " Monday Night Football " . Elway performed some of his late - game magic but it was Montana who stole the show in a game later known as the " Monday Night Shootout . " The two teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 21 , and a Chiefs field goal put the team on top 24 – 21 . After a turnover by the Broncos , Kansas City appeared ready to run out the clock behind running back Marcus Allen . Allen fumbled , leaving the Broncos with possession of the ball , and Elway led the Broncos to a touchdown to give Denver a 28 – 24 lead . However with 1 : 29 remaining , Montana led the Chiefs 75 yards down the field to score the last minute go ahead touchdown , and the Chiefs snapped an 11 - game losing streak to Denver with a 31 – 28 victory . After the departure of Elvis Grbac in 2001 , the Chiefs acquired Trent Green in a trade with the St . Louis Rams . In his first season , Green struggled and was called " a big disappointment . " [ 36 ] Phil Kloster famously nicknamed him " Tr - INT " after he had a particularly rough outing versus Denver in which he threw 4 interceptions to Deltha O ' Neal . This was later picked up from Chiefs fan page Chiefsplanet by Jason Whitlock who printed the moniker in the Kansas City Star and took the nickname to fame . [ 36 ] [ 37 ] [ 38 ] The press and Chiefs fans were occasionally critical of Green throughout his five years on the team . [ 38 ] [ 39 ] [ 40 ] [ 41 ] In the past few decades , the Chiefs have relied on veteran quarterbacks to lead their team . The Chiefs never drafted their own quarterback to develop until Brodie Croyle was chosen in the 2006 NFL Draft and claimed the starting position in 2007 . In the years prior to drafting Croyle ( 1960 – 2005 ) , the Chiefs had drafted 30 quarterbacks and each led the team to victory just 57 times , or 15 % . When head coach Herman Edwards was hired in 2006 , he stated that he was looking towards implementing a " youth movement " into his game plan , and he began his roster moves at the quarterback position . Croyle was the team ' s starting quarterback heading into the 2008 season , however , he suffered an injury and Damon Huard played in Croyle ' s absence . Huard started the Chiefs ' game in Week 2 , but he himself suffered an injury and Tyler Thigpen substituted for the remainder of the game . Thigpen started for the Chiefs in Huard and Croyle ' s absence against the Falcons . Croyle returned in Week 7 to start against the Tennessee Titans but suffered a season - ending knee injury . Following the injuries to Croyle and Huard , Thigpen became the " de facto " starting quarterback . After a poor first career start for Thigpen against Atlanta , a game in which he threw three interceptions , the Chiefs implemented the spread offense . With the absence of RB Larry Johnson , the central part of the Chiefs ' offense in years past , offensive coordinator Chan Gailey adjusted the offense to mimic the spread formation run by Thigpen at Coastal Carolina . It was considered by many in the NFL as a gamble , since there have been doubts over the spread offense ' s longterm success at the professional level . It was also a new direction for head coach Herman Edwards , who has long had a reputation for favoring more conservative , run - oriented offenses . After it was implemented , Edwards began seeing his team gain confidence with every game it played in that wide - open system , as the Chiefs began to become competitive once again on offense . The switch to the spread offense paid off for Thigpen and his abilities . Prior to the Chiefs implementing the spread offense , Thigpen had been playing erratically with the Chiefs , and he suddenly became poised and effective running the new offense . In Thigpen ' s second career start , he passed for 280 yards with a 69 . 4 % completion rate , with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the New York Jets , nearly leading the Chiefs to win over the heavily - favored Jets . Thigpen ' s passer rating climbed from 44 . 3 to 76 . 9 in the five games following his initial start at Atlanta . The Chiefs scored more than 10 points just twice in their first six games , but scored more offensive points than that in every game since , and twice topped 25 points . Thigpen won his first game as the Chiefs ' starter on November 30 against the Oakland Raiders , leading Kansas City to a 20 – 13 victory . Thigpen finished 15 - for - 22 for 162 yards and ran for 48 more . The offensive gameplan finally paid off and resulted in a victory which ended a 7 - game losing streak for the Chiefs . Thigpen ended the season starting nine games for Chiefs with a 1 – 8 record . Six of the losses were within 7 - point or less margins . He registered 21 total touchdowns , 12 interceptions , and 2 , 994 all - purpose yards . On February 28 , 2009 , the Chiefs acquired QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel from the New England Patriots for the # 34 overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft . Cassel will compete with Thigpen for the starting quarterback position . For a franchise that has struggled to find a franchise quarterback since Len Dawson ' s retirement in 1975 , Matt Cassel may be the answer . The Chiefs kept with tradition by trading for a backup instead of drafting the more talented Mark Sanchez . In a 2008 game between the Patriots and Chiefs , Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard injured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady , effectively ending his season . This resulted in Cassel , who was the second - string quarterback for New England at the time , to become the Patriots ' starting quarterback for the remainder of the season . Cassel led the Patriots to an 11 – 5 season and became a free agent at the end of the season , and the Chiefs acquired him in a trade , effectively making Cassel and Pollard teammates . In an interview , Cassel said he would thank Pollard for the opportunity but also stated that he never wishes to see anyone get hurt while playing . Backup quarterbacks . Notable backup quarterbacks have also led the Chiefs to success after substituting for their starting quarterback , including Mike Livingston , Rich Gannon , and Damon Huard . When Len Dawson was injured during the Chiefs ’ 1969 season , second - year quarterback Mike Livingston won all six of his starts in Dawson ' s absence . Dawson returned late in the season to lead the Chiefs on way to Super Bowl IV . Livingston , surrounded by a much weaker cast when he got another chance to start , never enjoyed much success again . Tom Flores was also on the Chiefs ' 1969 team that won Super Bowl IV , but never played in a game for the Chiefs . He went on to coach the Oakland Raiders to two Super Bowl victories in the 1980s . Warren Moon was on the Chiefs ' roster for the 1999 and 2000 seasons under Elvis Grbac and started one game in Grbac ' s absence . Moon was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 . Ron Jaworski finished his career as a Chief in 1989 , and started three games . Quarterback controversies . Gannon and Grbac . A quarterback controversy began in the 1997 season when Elvis Grbac started the first nine games and suffered an injury , leading to Rich Gannon ' s substitution for the next six games . Grbac would return in the team ' s season finale . Gannon won five consecutive starts down the stretch to help the Chiefs earn home - field advantage with a 13 – 3 record . Grbac wasn ' t much of a leader , in fact he once made the comment " I can ' t catch the ball and throw it , too . " although he was a talented thrower . Gannon was an aggressive leader who demanded the most of his players . Grbac was selected by coach Marty Schottenheimer to start the team ' s playoff game against the Denver Broncos , a game which the Chiefs would lose 14 – 10 . Chiefs fans were deeply divided over whether Gannon or Grbac should lead the team , and Gannon backers were none too happy when he was let go and signed with the Raiders in 1999 . After joining the Raiders , Gannon knocked the Chiefs out of playoff contention in the 1999 season when the Raiders defeated the Chiefs by a score of 41 – 38 in overtime . Grbac was released by the Chiefs after the 2000 season and signed with the then - defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens . Grbac only lasted one season in Baltimore and retired in the offseason . In 2002 , Gannon would be named the NFL ' s Most Valuable Player and led the Raiders to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII . Quarterback instability under Herman Edwards ( 2006 – 2008 ) . Trent Green had proven himself incredibly durable in his tenure with the Chiefs , and had started every game for the Chiefs since they acquired him in a 2001 trade . Green suffered a severe head injury in the 2006 season opener , when he was hit outside the pocket by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers . The injury would sideline him for the next eight games . He considered retirement but said neurosurgeon s and neurophysiologist s told him he faced no increased risk of Alzheimer ' s disease or dementia if he resumed playing with the team . Damon Huard took over in Green ' s absence while Green recovered , and coach Herman Edwards stated that Green would reclaim the position when he got healthy . The situation with Huard was compared to the Gannon – Grbac controversy from seven years earlier . Until he replaced Green in week one , Huard had thrown one pass in a game since 2000 and started in six games . Huard played in ten games throwing 11 touchdown passes and only one interception for a quarterback rating of 98 . 0 with the Chiefs . The Chiefs went 5 – 3 in games with Huard starting , but when Trent Green reclaimed his starting job , he managed a 4 – 4 record and threw 7 touchdowns and 9 interceptions . When Green returned , the opinions of Chiefs fans were divided . Half wanted Damon Huard while others remained loyal to Green . Edwards eventually chose Green to start the team ' s playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts . Edwards had said that if Green struggled , he wouldn ’ t hesitate to substitute Huard into the game : The Chiefs ' offense stumbled in the 23 – 8 loss , and Green threw for 107 yards on 14 - of - 24 passing with two interceptions . Kansas City ' s initial first down came with 3 : 34 remaining in the third quarter , and managed 126 total yards on offense . In late January , Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson told Green that he would have to restructure his contract to remain with the team and to brace for a lesser role on offense . Green was also granted permission to explore options of a trade . The February 2007 contract agreement with Huard , who would have been an unrestricted free agent , was the first public indication that Green ’ s job was in danger . The first team to have contacted the Chiefs ' front office about acquiring Green was the Miami Dolphins , but Miami disagreements prolonged trade talks . The Dolphins initially offered a seventh round draft pick to the Chiefs , but the Chiefs declined , instead seeking a second round pick in exchange for Green . The Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns were also interested in Green , whom were both looking for a veteran quarterback . Green had told the Chiefs that Miami was his preference for a trade , being that he previously worked under both head coach Cam Cameron and longtime quarterbacks coach Terry Shea . On draft day , the Chiefs and Dolphins could not reach a trade agreement . Green voiced his frustration , and criticism was drawn to the Chiefs ' apparent neglect to trade Green . Green stated that he was being treated unfairly on and off the field and that the 2007 quarterback competition was " substantially weighted " towards Croyle . Green voiced his reluctance to be a backup to Croyle and Huard . Head coach Herman Edwards voiced his own displeasure with Green ' s outspoken comments and simply said that he was " trying to create competition . " The changes had become apparent to Green , whom learned of the dismissal of quarterbacks coach Terry Shea from Brodie Croyle . He had also pointed out numerous occasions where Edwards had expressed the intention to start a younger quarterback to go along with the others in the AFC West . Green ' s agent had also said that the Dolphins were willing to be " flexible " in the trade negotiations , but the Chiefs organization were reportedly ignoring their calls in late May . On June 5 , the Chiefs agreed to trade Green to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional fifth round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft . The pick could have been upgraded to a fourth - round selection if Green reached certain predetermined playing time and performance levels . A season - ending concussion sent Green to the disabled list , securing a fifth - round choice for the Chiefs . On August 25 , Damon Huard was named the Chiefs ' starting quarterback for the season opener against the Houston Texans . However , following an unproductive first half of the season Brodie Croyle was named the starter on November 12 . Huard was injured in a game the previous day against the Denver Broncos , and Croyle filled in for the remainder of the game . Croyle started his first NFL regular season game against the Indianapolis Colts at the RCA Dome on November 18 , 2007 , but the Chiefs lost the game 13 – 10 . The Chiefs finished the season losing 9 consecutive games ( a club record ) and ended with a 4 – 12 record , their worst in 30 years . Croyle started six of the last seven games for the Chiefs , losing all six . In 2008 , Croyle started the Chiefs ' opening game against the New England Patriots , but suffered a shoulder injury . Damon Huard played for the remainder of the game and started the team ' s Week 2 matchup against the Oakland Raiders . Huard was injured in the game and replaced by Tyler Thigpen . Thigpen was the third Chiefs starting quarterback in the 2008 season . The Chiefs prepared Croyle throughout their bye week in order to return in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans . Croyle suffered a season - ending knee injury in the game , and when Huard substituted , he suffered a thumb injury leading to Thigpen finishing the game at quarterback . After the game , it was confirmed that both Croyle and Huard were placed on injured reserve , and Thigpen was announced as the starter against the Jets in Week 8 . The Chiefs signed both Ingle Martin and Quinn Gray to replace both Croyle and Huard on the depth chart . Thigpen started the remaining ten games of the season , but the Chiefs finished with a franchise - worst 2 – 14 record and continued to lack stability at the QB position under head coach Herman Edwards . Complete statistics . This is a complete list of career statistics from all quarterbacks that have played in a game for the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs . The list is in chronological order and all statistics are correct as of the end of the 2008 NFL season . Franchise records . The following is a list of franchise records accomplished by Texans / Chiefs quarterbacks from 1960 – 2008 .