In the wild, wild AFC West, no rivalry is more intense than that of the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. Though neither team has won a Super Bowl since the Raiders obliterated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII, the teams have remained competitive. The Chiefs are one of four teams in the entire NFL that have a winning record against the Raiders, and as we enter the 2016 season, the two are tied at 6-6 since 2010. The two teams have been locked in an ugly war since the 60’s.
This past off-season, the Raiders and Chiefs exchanged players. Former Raiders wide receiver Rod Streater signed with the Chiefs while Oakland signed one of Kansas City’s starting corners in Sean Smith. While most players remained loyal during their careers, this isn’t the first time players have crossed the battle line.
The Best Players Who Played for the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs
10. Tom Flores
While Flores didn’t make a huge impact for the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s worth noting that he did technically win a Super Bowl as the back-up quarterback. Of course, Flores isn’t remembered for his playing career. The future Hall of Famer is known for winning two Super Bowls for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders. While his contributions to the Chiefs were minimal, possessing a Super Bowl ring from both teams earns him a spot on this list.
9. Stanford Routt
For the first seven years of his career, Routt was a crucial part of Oakland’s secondary. Routt started at least fifteen games in all seven years. However, after becoming a liability in coverage, the Raiders let him go. Two weeks later, the Chiefs signed Routt to a three year deal. Routt didn’t pan out for the Chiefs, but there’s no question his past was why he was signed.
8. Harvey Williams
When Kansas City made Harvey Williams a first round pick in 1991, they assumed he would beat out the likes of Christian Okoye and Barry Word to become the starter. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, he didn’t. Williams only rushed for 858 yards in three seasons for the Chiefs before Kansas City moved onto another player that might appear on this list. Oddly enough, Williams ended up with the Los Angeles Raiders. In his first season, he eclipsed his entire Chiefs tenure by rushing for 983 yards. The next season, he’d experience career highs in yardage (1,114) and touchdowns (9).
7. Andre Rison
Andre Rison had a strange career. He played for seven different NFL teams over eleven years, despite being relatively productive for each team. He’s best known for his time with the Atlanta Falcons, but Rison experienced a career resurgence in 1997 when he had a 1,000 yard season with the Chiefs. He would remain a part of Kansas City’s offense for three years before playing his final NFL season with the Oakland Raiders.
6. Tyvon Branch
Between 2008 and 2014, Tyvon Branch was one of Oakland’s brightest young stars before an injury limited his abilities. Ultimately Branch wasn’t performing up to his contract and the Raiders released him after the 2014 season. How did Branch return the favor? Last December, Derek Carr and the Raiders trailed Kansas City by seven and they were marching. With 3:27 left, Carr stepped back in the pocket and threw it over the middle for youngster Amari Cooper. The ball bounced off of Cooper’s hands into the arms of a diving Tyvon Branch. Branch took the interception back to the house, scoring his first career pick six, in Oakland, to seal the victory for Kansas City.
5. Rodney Hudson
The same off-season that saw Branch sign with the Chiefs saw center Rodney Hudson sign with the Raiders. Hudson gave the Raiders some much needed stability inside the offensive line, and is the biggest reason the Raiders have one of the best offensive lines in the game in 2016. Without Hudson, the Chiefs have struggled to find stability on the offensive line.
4. Albert Lewis
On paper, Albert Lewis is the perfect corner. At 6’2, with 35 inch arms, and 4.38 speed, Lewis matched up well for everyone. A member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame; Lewis was a huge part of the Chiefs defense for eleven years. If there’s any justice, Lewis will eventually find his home in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As much as the Chiefs Kingdom would love that, they’d grimace at remembering that Lewis also played the final four years of his career wearing Silver and Black.
3. John Matuszak
John Matuszak was one of the NFL’s most entertaining characters. A wild man that perfectly epitomized the attitude of the Raiders in the 70’s, many people forget that he spent two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Ultimately, his off the field antics were too much for the Chiefs and they let him go. They had no way of knowing that he would go on to help their hated rivals win two Super Bowls.
2. Rich Gannon
Journeyman quarterback Rich Gannon revived his career in Kansas City when he filled in for an injured Elvis Grbac. Gannon carried the team to the post-season, but when it mattered most, Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer foolishly opted to start Grbac instead. The next year, he signed with the Oakland Raiders. In Jon Gruden’s west coast offense, Gannon would thrive. He was named to multiple Pro Bowls, was a two-time first-team All-Pro, and even won the NFL MVP in 2002. The Chiefs have struggled to find a quarterback who could take them to the next level ever since. It has to hurt that they let a league MVP out the door for the likes of Elvis Grbac.
1. Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen is the Raiders all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. After an ugly break-up that saw owner Al Davis favor multi-sport speedster Bo Jackson over the former Heisman Trophy winner, Allen went to Kansas City to give the Chiefs a huge boost. Allen scored his 100th career touchdown with the Chiefs against the Raiders. Davis has since reconciled with the Davis family; but the sting of the Hall of Famer scoring his 100th touchdown against his former team as a member of their hated rivals will never go away.
