ESPN creates All Quarter Century team: 8 Kansas City Chiefs make the cut, 3 get snubbed, and 1 surprise

The first 25 NFL seasons of the 21st century are in the books, prompting the folks over at ESPN to create an All Quarter Century team.

Qualifications that were considered included production throughout the 2000s, various advanced statistics, peak seasons, and longevity. Four current Kansas City Chiefs made the team, along with four of their former players. 

One could be considered a bit of a surprise, and I also identified three (two players, one coach) who I felt got snubbed. Let's take a look. . .

8 Chiefs make ESPN's All Quarter Century team

Patrick Mahomes (QB3)

Ahead of Mahomes are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. When Mahomes' career is all said and done, he could definitely be considered QB1 over those two, but for now it's fair to have him behind them. Mahomes edged out Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, who made the practice squad.

Priest Holmes (RB1)

This is one of the biggest surprises on the list. The "peak season" qualification was the biggest factor for Holmes. His production from 2001-2003 is arguably the best three-year stretch of any RB in NFL history, racking up an incredible 6,566 yards from scrimmage and 61 total touchdowns. Backing up Holmes are Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry.

Travis Kelce (TE2)

Kelce making the team is obvious, with the only debate being if he should be TE1 or TE2. ESPN ultimately chose Rob Gronkowski as their TE1, which I don't agree with. Kelce is well ahead of Gronkowski in receptions and receiving yards, while Gronkowski has 15 more TD catches. Kelce's postseason stats blow Gronkowski's out of the water, as Kelce has 80 more receptions, 689 more yards, and five more TDs.

Tony Gonzalez (TE3)

This is another no-brainer. Before Kelce and Gronkowski came around, Gonzalez was widely considered the best TE of all time. He still leads the position in receptions (1,325), receiving yards (15,127), and is second in TDs with 111. Lack of postseason success is the only black mark on Gonzalez' resume, only winning one playoff game in his 17-year career.

Chris Jones (DT3)

Coming in ahead of Jones is Aaron Donald and Calais Campbell, which seems fair to me. Jones has been named an All-Pro three more times than Campbell, but is well behind him in sacks and seasons played. Jones has a shot to tie or pass Donald in All-Pro selections, trailing him by just two.

Jared Allen (EDGE1)

Allen's best days were as a member of the Vikings, but he was great for Kansas City as well. The Chiefs selected Allen in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and he recorded nine sacks as a rookie that season. He finished his Chiefs career with 43 sacks in four seasons before being traded to Minnesota in 2008.

Darrelle Revis (CB1)

Only five of Revis' 145 career games were in a Chiefs' uniform, and unfortunately he was nowhere near the caliber of player he was in his prime while in Kansas City. However, he has a great case as the greatest shutdown CB of all-time, and is deserving to top his position on this list.

Dave Toub (ST coordinator)

Even before he arrived in Kansas City in 2013, Toub was considered one of the best ST coaches ever. After an additional 12 years with the Chiefs, he is the obvious choice here.

3 Chiefs snubbed from ESPN's All Quarter Century team

WR Tyreek Hill

The top two WRs on the list, Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson, are correct for my money. However, it gets murky beyond that. The rest of WR group is rounded out by Julio Jones, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, and Justin Jefferson. Other than Owens, I would put Hill over all of those guys. 

Hill has more receiving yards than Harrison and Jefferson, and more than double of Jefferson's TDs. Hill trails Jones by a little more than receiving 2,000 yards, but should eventually pass him. He also has 16 more TDs than Jones. For the cherry on top, Hill by far has more rushing yards than any WR on this list, and brings value as a return specialist.

RT Mitchell Schwartz

I agree with the choice of Lane Johnson as RT1, but would switch our their RT2 selection of Willie Anderson with Schwartz. Anderson was great, and it's definitely close, but I'd go with Schwartz because he played 22 more games than Anderson during the 2000s, had a streak of 7,894 consecutive snaps played that spanned over seven years, and made 122 straight starts.

DC Steve Spagnuolo

Since joining the Chiefs in 2019, Spagnuolo has cemented himself as the best DC of all time. He has won more Super Bowls than any other coordinator, offensive or defensive, in NFL history.

His defenses have carried the Chiefs each of the last two years, which is extremely impressive considering they have Patrick Mahomes at QB. ESPN gave the nod to Wade Phillips, who was undoubtably a great DC, but Spagnuolo deserved the nod here.