Perhaps the most underrated contributor for the Kansas City Chiefs is long snapper James Winchester.
An undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma, Winchester began his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. He found his way to Kansas City in 2015, and has been one of the best long snappers in the league ever since.
Winchester also plays on the kickoff coverage unit, recording 14 tackles and two forced fumbles throughout his career. After signing a new one-year contract with the Chiefs just last week, he spoke to the media about learning how to go about his business and have longevity from former Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt.
“I asked Dustin, how did you get to year 11?” Winchester said. “And his answer was, I don’t know. And I’m like, what do you mean you don’t know? And he’s like, well, I really don’t know. He said, I was fortunate enough to land in a place, in our organization, as good as Kansas City. We’ve obviously had our downs, and we’re on the up now. Coach Reid rolled around and they were having some success. He said, I wanted to play in one game at a time. I wanted to play for a season. I worked for that first contract and got that one, and then he was like, my goal is set for the second contract. And I made it to the second contract and thought, I’m going to go for a third. Then I look up, and here I am, in year 11.”
“So that has been exactly my answer to that one,” Winchester continued. “Younger guys ask me, how did you play 11 years? And I’m like, I’m going to give you the Dustin Colquitt answer. A lot of things have lined up in my favor and I’ve continue to just try to perfect the craft and work hard. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by a lot of great coaches and teammates that have allowed us to have some some amazing success. It’s pretty cool to go back and think about that conversation with Dustin, and here I am in year 11. That’s special.”
Winchester and Colquitt played together from 2015-2020. Colquitt retired after the 2021 season after a 16-year career. He will be inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Honor one day, and could have a shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It sounds cliche, but taking things one day at a time and keeping your head down while grinding really is one of they keys to success in the NFL. Not a lot of long snappers can say they’ve played 11 years in the league. In 2024 Winchester was named a team captain for the Chiefs’ postseason.
