KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 23: Running back Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles reportedly will sign a one-day contract with Kansas City so that he may retire as a member of the Chiefs organization.
Multiple outlets are reporting that Jamaal Charles will sign a one-day contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, so that he may retire as a member of the organization that drafted him in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
The two-time first team All-Pro played 11 seasons in the NFL, the first nine of which were with Kansas City before a relatively uneventful trek to Denver and then to Jacksonville. He rushed for barely over 303 yards the last two seasons, and only managed to make two appearances for Jacksonville last season before being cut.
Charles was a four-time Pro Bowl selection in Kansas City who was voted as one of the top 100 players in the NFL five times, peaking at No. 8 in 2014, which is no surprise given that the 2013 campaign was the best of his career: 1293 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, to go along with 693 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. The period from 2009-2014, save for the 2011 season when a torn ACL limited him to two contests, Charles was the Chiefs’ offensive identity.
While he never won a playoff game, and only played in two, Charles retires with a 5.4 yards per carry average, the highest in league history. In his career, he amassed 11,000-plus all-purpose yards and 65 touchdowns.
Charles will make a strong push to be a member of the 2010’s All-Decade Team, will be a member of the Chiefs Ring of Honor and the Chiefs Hall of Fame. He’ll go down as one of the top three running backs in Kansas City history.
And only time will tell how the former Texas Longhorn will be remembered in the pantheon of NFL running backs; but one thing’s for sure, his case for the Hall of Fame will soon be up to the voters.