“… all things come to an end …” – that was part of a late-night Instagram post from the longest-tenured Kansas City Chief announcing his departure from the organization after holding down punting duties for the past 15 seasons.
When I read that post early yesterday morning, it took the wind out of my sails. Dustin Colquitt was one of my favorite Chiefs. Truth be told, there were a few seasons between the Trent Green and Alex Smith era that he was my only favorite Chief.
However, professional football is a business first. Sentimentality often takes a back seat to good business sense as was the case here. The Chiefs will save a sorely-needed $ 2 million against their salary cap with Colquitt’s release. Additionally, this offseason, the Chiefs signed two other punters, free agent and ex-Charger Tyler Newsome, and rookie UDFA Tommy Townsend, a Florida Gator alumni.
What’s next for Colquitt remains to be seen. He’s not said. Most pundits expect him to forgo retirement and enter the free-agent market.
Prior to his release yesterday, Colquitt was the longest-tenured active Chief, as well as holding the franchise record for games played, 238. With his release, TE Travis Kelce and OT Eric Fisher are now tied as the Chiefs longest-tenured players with seven seasons, each. His release also marks the last vestige of the pre-Reid years. Every active Chief we have now, came on Big Red’s watch.
Colquitt was drafted by the Chiefs in 2005 in 3rd round (99th overall) out of the University of Tennessee. To put that into context for our younger readers, when Colquitt became a Chief, future Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was a 9-year-old fourth grader at one of the four elementary schools in the Whitehouse Independent School District (ISD) in Whitehouse, TX.
The 2005 Chiefs roster he joined was one filled with some remarkable Chiefs, including the likes of: Trent Green, Dante Hall, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Bryan Waters, Dante Hall, Tony Gonzalez, Jared Allen, Patrick Surtain, Sammy Knight, Jerome Woods, and Priest Holmes (IR). It was the swan song season for Chiefs HC Dick Vermeil. The Chiefs posted a 10-6 record that season, but missed the playoffs due to the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Detroit Lions in week 17. The Steelers would go on to win Super Bowl XL, becoming the first sixth-seeded team ever to do so.
Alas, it was all downhill after that. The Chiefs made the playoffs only twice during those dark years between Coach Vermeil and Coach Reid, losing both times. The Chiefs posted two 2-14 seasons in those years, along with a couple of 4-12 seasons, and slew of mediocre years.
Over the 15 years that Colquitt spent as a Chief, Arrowhead One drive was a virtual revolving door. Four general managers, five head coaches, thirteen starting quarterbacks, and a host of other players and assistant coaches, alike. Poor Colquitt had to keep his head on a swivel for most of his years as a Chief.
Colquitt was, for more years than I care to admit, one of the only reasons to watch the Chiefs. Weekly, he would put on what could best be described as “punting clinics” because they sure weren’t games. Not if you were a Chiefs fan. I can even recollect yelling at the TV once, imploring the Chiefs head coach to pull QB Tyler Palko out of the game and… “let’s see what Dustin can do!”
I’m hardly alone in my admiration of Colquitt, nor in my sadness at his departure. Chiefs HC Andy Reid said in a released statement:
“Dustin is one of the greatest Chiefs of all-time and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to coach him these past seven years. The longevity of his career here in Kansas City shows you just how consistently he has performed at a high level. Beyond his impact on the field, he was a great teammate and leader. I will always be a huge Dustin Colquitt fan,”
Mused Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt in a statement,
“My family and I are immensely grateful for the contributions Dustin and his family have made to the Chiefs over the last 15 years. Dustin has cemented his place as one of the greatest punters in the history of the NFL. In addition to his exceptional play on the field, Dustin has been an invaluable member of the Kansas City community, and his dedication and generosity improved the lives of countless families throughout Chiefs Kingdom. Dustin consistently represented himself, the Chiefs and the Kansas City community with integrity and class, and he will always be a member of the Chiefs family.”
I’m not going to delve too deeply into Colquitt’s career as a Chief. That was already done for us by ArrowheadOne’s own David Perkins in his excellent article, Dustin Colquitt is in the Books, published last October.
Nor will I ruminate on his tremendous impact in the Kansas City community, including his excellent work with the charity that the Chiefs three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee co-founded: Team Smile. Team Smile offers free dental care to underserved children.
There’s probably no need to mention how the two-time Pro-Bowler holds almost all of the Red and Gold’s punting records including the record for punting yards (50,393), most punts (1,124), and longest punt (81 yards). Nor will I go into his punting and Super Bowl lineage: father Craig won 2 Super Bowls with the Steelers and brother Britton won one with the Denver Broncos.
For fifteen years, Dustin Colquitt has punted over 28.6 miles (50,393 yards), played in 238 games (missing only two), and brought smiles to the faces of Chiefs fans and under-served but deserving kids alike. I never imagined I could ever have a favorite punter, but Mr. Colquitt is mine. For life!
Ever the class-act, Colquitt closed his late night Instagram post by thanking the city that welcomed the fresh-faced Knoxville native and the Chiefs 2005 3rd round draft pick fifteen years ago.
“Holding this post for 15 years has been an honor that I never took for granted. Thank you KC.”
No, Mr. Colquitt. Thank YOU! You will be missed.
Michael Travis Rose — ArrowheadOne
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