One former Chief actually did complete the Super Bowl 3-peat thanks to Eagles

Three of the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues have witnessed a team win three consecutive championships. In the NFL, which features a single-elimination postseason format, the feat has yet to be accomplished. 

Nine NFL teams have won back-to-back championships in the Super Bowl era, but none of them were able to retain their title for a third season. The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers and 1990 San Francisco 49ers came close, but both suffered losses in their respective conference championships. If we're counting non-Super Bowl era teams, the Green Bay Packers have achieved that feat twice.

The Kansas City Chiefs came closer than any team before them, but they ultimately fell short on the doorstep of history. The Chiefs' 728-day reign as defending champions ended with a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. One former Chiefs player, however, managed to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles by himself.

One Chiefs player managed to win three straight Super Bowl titles

Eagles offensive tackle Darian Kinnard hasn’t experienced anything except championships in his professional career. The Chiefs selected the Kentucky product in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he spent the first two years of his career collecting Super Bowl rings as a practice squad player. During that time, Kinnard appeared in one regular-season game and played just five special teams snaps. 

The Eagles signed Kinnard shortly after Kansas City’s 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. In his first season with Philadelphia, the third-year offensive tackle became a three-time champion.

Kinnard was inactive for 14 games during the 2024 regular season, but he registered his first career start in Week 18. The Eagles started their backups after clinching the NFC’s No. 2 seed, and Kinnard played every snap during a 20-14 win over the New York Giants.

“I guess I can say I’m kind of spoiled when it comes to [Super Bowls],” Kinnard said before Super Bowl LIX, via the New York Post. “Three years in, two rings and possibly going for a third. It’s pretty exciting.”

The 25-year-old became just the second player in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships. Former linebacker Ken Norton Jr. became the first player to join that exclusive club in the 1990s, per CBS Sports.

Norton won his first two championships with the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft. After the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII against the Buffalo Bills, Norton joined the San Francisco 49ers and won Super Bowl XXIX in 1994.

If the Chiefs had won Super Bowl LIX, 29 Chiefs players would have joined Norton's exclusive three-peat club.