When Jason Kelce officially announced his retirement, he slipped in a nod to a name that might’ve flown under the radar for some Chiefs fans - but not for those who know the game’s trenches. In reflecting on his journey to the NFL, Kelce credited Howard Mudd, a legendary offensive line coach who once had a stint in Kansas City.
“Few teams had interest in a lineman who weighed 288 pounds,” Kelce said. “Lucky for me, the Eagles had just hired Howard Mudd, a legendary coach who valued offensive linemen for their athleticism more than their size.”
That quote says a lot about Mudd’s philosophy - and why he was such a respected figure in NFL coaching circles. He wasn’t looking for the biggest body in the room.
He wanted movement, technique, and football IQ. That mindset helped shape some of the best offensive lines in the league, and it all ties back to a career that included a key chapter with the Chiefs.
Mudd, who played guard in the NFL from 1964 to 1970, began his coaching career at the college level before moving on to the Seahawks and 49ers. But it was his connection with Marty Schottenheimer that brought him to Kansas City. When Schottenheimer became the Chiefs’ head coach in 1989, he brought Mudd along to coach the offensive line - a role he held until 1992.
During that time, the Chiefs were building something. The franchise had been stuck in neutral through much of the 1980s, but the arrival of Schottenheimer, GM Carl Peterson, and a strong coaching staff helped turn things around.
And make no mistake - Mudd’s fingerprints were all over that offensive resurgence. Kansas City’s offensive line became a strength, setting a tone for the physical, run-heavy identity the team carried through the ‘90s.
After his time in KC, Mudd returned to Seattle before landing in Indianapolis, where he spent 12 seasons protecting one of the most important assets in football history: Peyton Manning. And Mudd’s offensive lines did more than just hold their own - they dominated.
During his tenure with the Colts from 1998 to 2009, Indianapolis never ranked worse than 10th in the league in sacks allowed. Six times, they led the NFL in that category.
That’s not just good coaching - that’s elite-level consistency in a league built to break down protection.
When Mudd passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2020, the tributes poured in. Manning, never one to throw around praise lightly, made it clear what Mudd meant to him and the guys who played for him.
“I would put him on that pedestal any day of the week,” Manning said. “I know all the guys that played for him would feel the same way and a lot of the guys that coached with him would feel the same.
He will be missed by many. I know so many like me are grateful to have played for him.”
That kind of respect doesn’t come easy in the NFL. It’s earned over decades - in meeting rooms, on practice fields, and in the subtle adjustments that turn good lines into great ones.
Mudd’s name surfaced again recently in the wake of Bill Belichick being passed over for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Some pointed to the lingering shadow of Spygate as a possible reason. That opened the door for former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson to weigh in - and to bring up Mudd’s name in a surprising context.
“If they are using the EXCUSE of Spygate that’s ridiculous…many teams (including ourselves) tried it,” Johnson wrote on X. “Howard Mudd at Kansas City who later coached for Bill Polian and Tony Dungy gave us the idea…he was the best…we didn’t get anything and stopped but many teams gave it a try.”
That comment raised some eyebrows, but former Chiefs GM Carl Peterson pushed back on the suggestion that Mudd crossed any lines during his time in Kansas City.
“In the time that he worked with Marty and myself at the Chiefs, he never did anything wrong or illegal to my knowledge,” Peterson said.
Peterson, who served as GM from 1988 to 2008, was instrumental in hiring Schottenheimer and reshaping the franchise’s identity. Under their leadership, the Chiefs went from an afterthought to a perennial playoff team in the ‘90s. And Mudd, according to Peterson, was a big part of that success - not just for his coaching chops, but for his ability to read the game in real time.
“Howard Mudd was an excellent OL coach, whom almost every offensive lineman that he coached at Cleveland, KC and Indy would attest to,” Peterson said. “Ask Peyton Manning how important Howard Mudd was...”
Peterson also addressed the signal-stealing chatter, making it clear that Mudd didn’t need a camera to understand what was coming.
“As for ‘stealing defensive signals,’ Howard had an uncanny ability to do that legally by simply watching the opposing team’s defensive coordinator on the sidelines without the use of cameras or other technology! He was an excellent NFL player, and assistant coach for many years that we lost a few years ago in a bad motorcycle accident. May he now rest in peace.”
At the end of the day, Howard Mudd’s legacy isn’t about controversy - it’s about craftsmanship. He was a coach who saw the game differently, taught it passionately, and left an imprint on some of the best offenses of his era.
Whether it was shaping a young Jason Kelce or protecting a Hall of Fame quarterback like Manning, Mudd’s impact on the game runs deep. And for those who watched him work - from Kansas City to Indianapolis - it’s clear: he was one of the best to ever do it.