Chiefs’ Star Center Finally Earns Huge Respect-Based Accolade

Another summer, another cycle of the “Top 100 Players of 2025” list being released by the NFL. Every year, the players themselves vote for the top performers in the league, with the star-studded Kansas City Chiefs being known for populating the group of names.

This year’s first name mentioned, however, isn’t one of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce or Chris Jones. For the first time in his career, center Creed Humphrey was voted in by his peers. Humphrey occupies the No. 93 spot on the 2025 list, finishing just ahead of Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.

In a post on X shared directly from the NFL, players like Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley can be seen and heard praising Humphrey.

“When you want to get in this league and you want to play in this league, you’ve got to understand that you’re going to come across dudes who are elite talents,” Henley said. “But you’ve got to be willing to face them and want to face them. That should make you want to be on that field [and] make you want to be better, and that is Creed. That’s the dude I want to compete against, because he’s at the top of his position.”

Creed Humphrey’s 2024-25 Performance for Chiefs Solidified NFL Top 100 Ranking

Humphrey’s placement on the NFL 100 is more than fitting. In fact, many would say his inclusion was overdue. For the fourth year in a row, the Chiefs star started all 17 regular-season games and was excellent up front. Playing 97% of available snaps in the regular season and all 173 in the postseason, Humphrey was once again a mainstay.

Advanced metrics back up this ranking and potentially even make the case for Humphrey being higher than 93rd. According to Pro Football Focus, the former second-round pick posted several career-best marks. That included overall offense (92.4) and pass blocking (91.5) grades, pressures surrendered (7) and penalties committed (2).

These numbers aren’t just good for Humphrey, either. Of all 32 centers who logged at least 500 blocking snaps in 2024-25, he paced the field in several statistics. Additionally, the NFL’s story on its most prominent summer list mentions that Humphrey posted the most pass blocking snaps of any lineman without giving up a quick pressure. No matter how you slice it, he dominated.

Humphrey’s Resume Has More Than Justified Lucrative Chiefs Contract Price

Not many active players in the sport – regardless of experience – have constructed the resume Humphrey has after four seasons. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl champion, after all. Not only that, but last year saw him capture a first-team All-Pro berth after being a second-teamer in 2022. That, when paired with the iron man streak of starts, is hard to beat.

Humphrey is such an effective player that his contract was never once looked at with anything other than praise. It isn’t common for a team to reset the market for a position without someone taking issue with it. Despite Humphrey being on the books for a four-year, $72 million deal with over $50M in guarantees, he’s unanimously worth it.

As these same Chiefs are finding out with right guard Trey Smith, not every negotiation is a no-brainer or seamless process. Some values must be debated. Some talents require a cost-benefit analysis. Nearly every extension requires foresight.

Humphrey’s was simply a byproduct of him being who he is, which is now officially one of the NFL’s 100 best players in the eyes of his competition.