One NFL legend every team wishes they could bring back in 2021

Kansas City Chiefs: Derrick Thomas, Linebacker

After winning the Super Bowl in 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs made it back to the big game the following season but lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even though they didn’t win it all for the second season in a row, the Chiefs are back-to-back AFC champions and favorites to get back to the Super Bowl again this year.

On offense, they have a myriad of star players including Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kecle. On defense, they also have a few big names such as Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu but they still have some holes they would like to fill.

Adding Derrick Thomas would not only fill some of the voids on their defense but he would also make life easier for everyone else with his ability to get after the quarterback. Thomas, the No. 4 overall pick in 1989 out of Alabama, played 11 seasons in Kansas City and had 126.5 sacks including a career-best 20 in 1990.

For all his work, Thomas was tabbed as the Chiefs No. 1 overall player all-time in a recent top-10 player ranking on SI.com.

"“Derrick Thomas was an outside linebacker who was drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL draft. He came into the league in dominating fashion, earning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. In his rookie season, Thomas had 75 tackles, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. The next season, he would have one of the greatest seasons for an outside linebacker, leading the league with 20 sacks and six forced fumbles, and setting the all-time record for sacks in a single game with seven.” — Jeff Unk, SI.com"

Eventually, Mahomes will overtake the top spot but Thomas will surely stay atop the team rankings for many years to come.

Thomas, unfortunately, passed away far too young, but still left quite the legacy in the NFL during his time on the field.