KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
Nick Bolton led the Chiefs with 11 tackles Sunday during a 22-6 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It was the 26th time Kansas City’s star middle linebacker had racked up double-digit tackles.
No one has ever had more in franchise history.
“I knew going into the Colts game,” Bolton, a native of Frisco, Texas, said. “I missed a couple tackles, so I didn’t deserve it. But it’s pretty cool, being in the upper echelon with those guys. A lot of linebackers came before me that laid the groundwork and just being a part of history with them is a special moment for me.”
Bolton had been tied with Chiefs Hall of Famer Derrick Johnson, who was inducted into the club’s Ring of Honor at halftime of the win against Indianapolis.
“He's a beast,” Bolton’s linebacking partner in crime since 2023, Drue Tranquill, said. “He's been the anchor of our defense for however long he's been here. Spags (Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve) has a lot of trust in him. We do as well. But that's rare company right there.”
Bolton — a second-round pick from Mizzou, where he was a first-team All-SEC player twice, in the 2021 NFL Draft — now owns 660 career tackles, so he still has a long way to go to catch Johnson’s career franchise record (1,163).
Of course, Johnson also played 188 games across 14 seasons and Bolton is only 79 games and barely six seasons into his NFL career.
“You know, gold jacket this year at Mizzou and probably another gold jacket waiting for him down the line,” Tranquill said.
But Bolton, who has won two Super Bowl titles with Kansas City, isn’t ready to focus on legacy just yet.
“I just want to be the best linebacker I can be for our team — whether that be communication or making plays, making tackles,” Bolton said. “I let the rest of that stuff kind of handle itself. When you don’t chase plays, usually they come to you.”
It’s worked pretty well so far.
“He's hungry out there and he gets after it,” Tranquill said. “The production, a lot of times, reflects the effort of the player, so just to see the way he's led us, verbally through the headset and then the production as well, is huge.”
—
