5 most overrated players in Chiefs history ft. Matt Cassel

The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in football, currently, with three Super Bowl titles in Patrick Mahomes' six seasons as the starting quarterback. Travis Kelce has emerged as one of the best tight ends in NFL history, becoming a global megastar after he was revealed to be dating Taylor Swift.

However, not every Chief deserves to be called great, whether it be with this dynasty or the past. Here's a shortlist of people who continue getting overestimated for their time in the red and gold:

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Five most overrated Chiefs players

5) Mecole Hardman

AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Miami Dolphins v Kansas City Chiefs

This list begins with a prodigal son in Mecole Hardman. People like to think he played an integral role in the Chiefs' Super Bowl run, but the truth is he was barely the second-most important wideout in each of them.

He had his best season in 2021, when he had 59 grabs for 693 yards and eight touchdowns but failed to reach the Super Bowl. And, of course, the less said about his stint with the New York Jets (which led to his return to Arrowhead), the better.

4) Dontari Poe

Kansas City Chiefs v Oakland Raiders

Chris Jones may have been being overshadowed by the star-studded exploits of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (and earlier on, Tyreek Hill). But he should easily be considered one of the greatest defensive tackles in history and a future Hall of Famer.

That's a far cry from Dontari Poe, who was largely unremarkable in his five seasons with the Chiefs. Besides making a few Pro Bowls and rushing for a touchdown once (the heaviest player to do so), he didn't accomplish much.

3) Trent Green

Chiefs v Ravens

These days, Trent Green is best known for being Kevin Harlan's broadcast partner at CBS. But before that, he was a journeyman quarterback.

After stints at San Diego, Washington, and St. Louis, he finally got his chance to be an offensive leader as a Chief in 2001. He was a Pro Bowler twice while playing with multiple future Hall of Famers, but both times he reached the playoffs, he lost to Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts.

Other than that, the only memorable thing he did was miss the playoffs despite winning 10 games in 2005.

2) Larry Johnson

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins

There have been a good number of great running backs in Kansas City Chiefs history: Marcus Allen, Christian Okoye, Priest Holmes and even Jamaal Charles. And then there's Larry Johnson.

For exactly two seasons - 2005 and 2006 - he was monstrously prolific, rushing for at least 1,700 yards and scoring double-digit touchdowns. But other than that, he accomplished little else.

1) Matt Cassel

Kansas City Chiefs v New Orleans Saints

In 2008, something shocking happened: Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the very first game of the season. Matt Cassel bravely stepped in and almost led tham back to the playoffs at 11-5, eventually just coming up short via tiebreaks.

Come 2009, he parlayed that into a starting opportunity. The Brock Huard era hadn't gone very well at Arrowhead, so new general manager Scott Pioli traded for his old charge (and linebacker Mike Vrabel) as soon as free agency began.

What happened with that? Three losing records in four seasons, and the one time they made the playoffs, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. The nadir was going 2-14 in 2012-13, which led Pioli to ditch Cassel and trade for Alex Smith.