Since 2017, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has torn through the NFL with his spectacular play and never-say-die attitude.
During his eight-year career, Mahomes has already been named the NFL’s MVP twice and led the Chiefs franchise to three Super Bowl victories.
By the time he finishes his pro career, the quarterback will arguably be the greatest athlete in league history to wear the number 15.
There have been numerous players that have worn the number in the past century including a few notable names.
The following is a list of the five greatest players to wear the number 15 in NFL history.
5- Brandon Marshall
After catching 112 passes for over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns in college, Marshall was a fourth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2006.
Following a rookie year in which he caught just 20 passes and started one game, Marshall suddenly became one of the best receivers in pro football in 2007.
Beginning in ‘07, the receiver had over 100 receptions each year through the 2009 season.
Jay Cutler & Brandon Marshall pic.twitter.com/DfIXquskx8
— The Broncos Daily 🗞 (@TheBroncosDaily) September 19, 2024
During a ‘09, Week 14 game against the Indianapolis Colts, Marshall caught an astounding 21 passes to set an NFL record for a single game that has yet to be broken.
Despite his efforts that day, the Broncos still lost.
Before the 2010 season, he was traded from Denver to the Miami Dolphins, and in two years with the ‘Fins, Marshall caught 167 total passes.
In 2012, Marshall was traded again, this time to the Chicago Bears.
His first year in the Windy City couldn’t have gone any better.
Marshall tied for second in the NFL with a career-high 118 receptions for 1,508 yards (also a career-best) and 11 touchdowns.
In 2013, he caught 100 passes and 12 scores for Chicago.
Picture of the Night: Brandon Marshall's insane one-handed touchdown grab #Bears pic.twitter.com/fVLwCDiSKv
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 15, 2014
Marshall was on the move again two years later as a New York Jet and snagged 109 passes for a career-high 14 touchdowns which co-led the league in 2015.
It was the sixth time the receiver had 100 receptions or more in a single season.
Following a 2016 season with the Jets, Marshall became a New York Giant for one year but caught only 18 passes before landing on season-ending IR due to an ankle injury.
In 2018, he played for the Seattle Seahawks, his sixth NFL team, before being cut after six games.
Marshall was with New Orleans for a month in late 2018 but did not see playing time and retired soon after.
Saints to sign WR Brandon Marshall following Dez Bryant’s season-ending Achilles injury, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/L3uMPLSXWO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 12, 2018
During his career, Marshall had 970 receptions for 12,351 yards, and 83 touchdowns.
He was a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, 2012 Pro Bowl MVP (four receptions, 176 yards and four touchdowns), and co-led the NFL in touchdown receptions in 2015.
Remarkably, although Marshall was a very talented and effective receiver, he never had an opportunity to appear in a playoff contest in his entire career.
4- Steve Van Buren
Van Buren was primarily a blocking back during his first few years with the LSU Tigers.
Because of that, history may well have forgotten about him if it wasn’t for WWII.
In 1943, several of Van Buren’s teammates were drafted to serve in the war effort and the running back was spared only because of an eye defect.
With few options remaining, Van Buren’s coach, Bernie Moore, put him into the starting spot at tailback.
During his senior year, Van Buren rushed for 847 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Furthermore, his 98 total points led the nation.
His single season of stellar offensive output made Van Buren the fifth overall pick in the 1944 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Steve Van Buren was a once in a generation player.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/CK5qTY0evM
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) March 4, 2023
Bashful almost to a fault, Van Buren waited a few weeks to sign his professional contract because he did not think he was good enough to play in the NFL.
That notion soon went by the wayside as he quickly proved to be one of the most talented players in the game.
During his rookie year, Van Buren rushed for 444 yards and five touchdowns and added one punt and one kick return for touchdowns.
His kick return for a score went 97 yards.
A year later, Van Buren took another kick 98 yards to the house while leading the NFL with 832 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns (career-best).
He added to his touchdown total that year with another two scores as a receiver.
Between 1947 and 1949, Van Buren led the NFL three more times in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns including a career-high 1,146 yards in ‘49.
“Supersonic Steve’s” tremendous talent helped lead the Eagles to three straight NFL Championship games during that span including world titles in 1948 and 1949.
GUDBill13: @DaRealConMan @NflIdeas @Eagles @UnibetUS Need the throwback to these 'Steve Van Buren' beauties… pic.twitter.com/I0mmWO9sYo
— Gridiron Uniforms (@GridironUniform) January 19, 2023
By 1950, Van Buren’s play suffered due to neck, back and leg injuries.
He led the NFL in rushing attempts in 1950 then started only six games in 1951 before retiring.
During his pro career, Van Buren rushed 1,320 times for 5,860 yards, and 69 touchdowns.
Additionally, he caught 45 passes for 523 yards and three touchdowns and tallied 473 yards and two scores in punt returns and 2,030 yards and three touchdowns in kick returns.
Van Buren was a two-time NFL champion, seven-time All-Pro, four-time rushing yards and rushing touchdowns leader and NFL scoring champ in 1945.
He has since been named to several NFL and Eagles All-Time and Anniversary teams and his number 15 has been retired by Philly.
3- Johnny “Blood” McNally
The “Vagabond Halfback” was born McNally before passing by a theatre in 1922 that was playing the movie Blood and Sand.
In an attempt to play semi-pro football without harming his college football eligibility, McNally took the name “Blood” from the marquee and made it his new surname.
Blood’s pro football career began in 1925 with the Milwaukee Badgers and spent the next four seasons playing for Milwaukee, then the Duluth Eskimos and Pottsville Maroons.
Then, in 1929, he joined head coach Curly Lambeau’s Green Bay Packers.
When the @packers won four NFL Championships from 1929-36, Johnny "Blood" McNally was one of their highest-impact offensive players.
On the 38-year anniversary of McNally's passing, we celebrate his legacy. #HOFForever pic.twitter.com/gYG9eesUER
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 29, 2023
Three consecutive years of NFL titles followed due to the Packers ending each season with the NFL’s best record.
Blood was a big part of the team’s success, though his shenanigans often exasperated Lambeau.
One (slightly) celebrated story involves Blood going to great lengths to get a pay raise.
After getting rebuffed by Lambeau, Blood found his way to a thin ledge on a hotel building eight stories high and then leaped into Lambeau’s hotel room window.
The legendary coach nearly had a heart attack due to Blood’s sudden appearance and the shock led Lambeau to give the player his requested raise.
In 1934, Lambeau shipped off his star halfback to Pittsburgh but he returned again to Wisconsin in 1935 and played two years with the Packers, including another NFL title in 1936.
Blood then finished his playing career after two more seasons with the Steelers.
At the time, the NFL did not keep accurate track of stats and Blood is only credited with career totals of 386 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 67 receptions for 1,117 yards and 36 receiving touchdowns.
Johnny "Blood" McNally of the Green Bay Packers pic.twitter.com/RRB2GGaRsR
— Scopes Town Blues (@ScopesTownLib) June 27, 2023
He was an NFL co-leader in touchdown receptions in 1933 with three scores and was a four-time NFL champ.
Blood was later named to the NFL’s 1930s All-Decade Team and added to the Packers Hall of Fame.
In 1963, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
An interesting side note, the number 15 was one of eight different numbers that Blood wore during his career.
2- Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes was a gun-slinging quarterback with the Texas Tech Red Raiders who passed for over 11,000 yards and 93 touchdowns in three seasons.
Then, with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes even though the franchise already had a solid QB in Alex Smith.
The veteran continued to start in 2017 before getting shipped off to the Washington Redskins in 2018 to make way for Mahomes.
Right away it was evident that he was cut from a different cloth.
As a second-year QB in ‘18, Mahomes passed for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns leading to numerous accolades including All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods and selections as the NFL’s MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
That same season, the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1993 before losing to the New England Patriots.
Yeeeesh 😤 @patrickmahomes pic.twitter.com/gOGusEJSgl
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
In 2019 and 2020, Mahomes had over 4,000 passing yards both seasons while leading Kansas City to two Super Bowls, including a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
An AFC Championship loss to Cincinnati in 2021 prevented a third consecutive trip to the NFL’s biggest game.
Not to be deterred for long, Mahomes passed for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2022 and was named the league MVP for the second time.
Along the way, the quarterback led the Chiefs back to a championship when the team beat the Eagles in a wild, 38-35 thriller in Super Bowl LVII.
Another world title followed last season as Mahomes’ athletic prowess led to a 25-22 overtime win over San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII.
3X SUPER BOWL MVP: @PATRICKMAHOMES #SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/KoSkMTM4Hn
— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2024
In just eight professional seasons, Mahomes has been named the NFL’s MVP twice, the league’s Offensive Player of the Year once, selected an All-Pro three times and to the Pro Bowl six times and has led the NFL in passing yards once and passing touchdowns twice.
Additionally, he has played in four of the past six Super Bowls, winning three, and also received the Super Bowl MVP award for all three victories.
1- Bart Starr
In four years at the University of Alabama, Starr was shuttled in and out of the starting lineup as the Tide’s quarterback.
During his time in college, Starr only passed for totals of 1,903 yards, 10 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
That would have been the end of Starr’s football life if it wasn’t for a connection between the head coach of Alabama’s basketball squad and the personnel director with the Green Bay Packers.
The coach put in a good word and the organization took a flyer on the little-used QB, taking Starr in the 17th round of the 1956 NFL Draft.
He then spent the summer before his first training camp by throwing footballs through a tire swing to improve his accuracy.
Barely used as a rookie that year, Starr saw more action in 1957 with 11 starts and 1,400 passing yards.
Packers-Lions#GoPackGo #OnePride#NFLColorization #NFLColorizations
Joe Schmidt and Bart Starr pic.twitter.com/jV5zTX4Wnc— ᑭᖇO ᖴOOTᗷᗩᒪᒪ ᒍOᑌᖇᑎᗩᒪ 🏈 (@NFL_Journal) December 5, 2024
Two mediocre seasons followed before Starr and second-year head coach Vince Lombardi took the NFL by storm in 1960.
That year as the Pack went from 7-5 to 8-4 and a berth in the NFL Championship against Philadelphia, Starr threw for 1,358 yards and four touchdowns, bringing him a Pro Bowl nod.
Although Starr had a touchdown pass against the Eagles in the title game, Green Bay lost.
However, the franchise won the NFL Championship in 1961 and 1962 against the New York Giants.
Starr had three touchdown passes in the ‘61 contest and over 2,400 yards passing in both regular seasons.
The Packers won another title in 1965 after Starr threw for a career-tying best 16 touchdowns.
In the NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns, he accounted for one touchdown pass.
One year later, the NFL decided to pit the champions of the NFL and the champs of the American Football League (AFL) against each other in Super Bowl I.
Bart Starr #Packers pic.twitter.com/KtXIaK8qlO
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) February 8, 2024
Lombardi’s crew kept on rolling as Starr was named the league’s MVP after passing for 2,257 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The team then secured another NFL Championship victory against the Dallas Cowboys before a 35-10 blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I.
Starr had 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception during the contest and was named the MVP.
Green Bay won the 1967 NFL Championship before beating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II.
Another MVP award was given to Starr based on his 202 yards and one passing score.
Lombardi left the Packers organization following the 1968 season and the team’s fortunes seemed to leave with him.
Starr played another four years in Wisconsin before calling it quits after 1971.
During his career, he passed for 24,718 yards, 152 touchdowns, and 138 interceptions.
Starr also added 1,308 yards and 15 scores rushing.
Bart Starr played 16 years in Green Bay & was beloved by generations of football fans.
▪️ Five-time NFL champion
▪️ 2-time Super Bowl MVP
▪️ NFL MVP in 1966
▪️ Pro Football Hall of FamerRemembering a #Packers legend. pic.twitter.com/J8iUpuR5Cb
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 27, 2019
He was a five-time NFL champion, two-time Super Bowl winner, two-time Super Bowl MVP, NFL MVP, four-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, NFL Passer Rating leader four times, and the league’s completion percentage leader four times.
Starr has since been named to the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade Team, the Packers Hall of Fame and his number 15 has been retired by the organization.
In 1977, the former quarterback was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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