We are 61 days away from the Kansas City Chiefs‘ season-opening game against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1.
The No. 61 is being worn by guard C.J. Hanson, a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft, as we enter this season.
He has a long way to go to meet the standard set by a few No. 61s, each playing key roles in some of the greatest eras in franchise history.
The all-time No. 61s in franchise history
Tim Grunhard (1990 – 2000)
Curley Culp (1968 – 1974)
Mitch Morse (2015 – 2018)
Rodney Hudson (2011 – 2014)
I have more personal memories of the back-to-back stellar stretches of center play that Hudson and Morse brought to the Chiefs
before continuing on with successful careers elsewhere, but Grunhard was all Chiefs, through and through.
After starting nine games as a rookie, Grunhard was the full-time starter in 1991 and never looked back. He missed just five starts from that point on until he retired with the organization following the 2000 season. He earned one Pro Bowl honor in 1999, capping off a memorable legacy worthy of the Chiefs’ Ring of Honor.
61 yards: The longest play from scrimmage for the Chiefs last season
In the loss to the Broncos in Denver, quarterback Patrick Mahomes unleashed a long ball to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, gaining 61 yards in the second half of a tight game.
The play would be more memorable if it came in a win, but it was the longest play from scrimmage for the Chiefs in 2025 and since the 2023 season.
Here, it’ll be used as a reminder that an offense with Mahomes at the helm should feature plays like this more often than it has in recent seasons. Let’s see if the team can top this on one play in 2026, whether it’s with the speed of Thornton, wide receiver Xavier Worthy, running back Kenneth Walker or someone else.
