Reflecting on the greatness of Jamaal Charles
By Britt Zank
The Kansas City Chiefs made a move today we all expected; they released Jamaal Charles. Despite knowing this was coming, Boyz II Men sang it best, “It’s so hard to say goodbye.”
Jamaal Charles came to the Kansas City Chiefs as a third round draft pick in 2008. It sounds crazy to say but he was the third string running back that year behind Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith. It wasn’t until halfway through the 2009 season that Johnson got cut and Charles was given regular playing time.
Charles still split carries with Smith though, frustrating most fans who created a campaign to #FreeJamaal. The Chiefs finally did and he showed what he could do in week 17 that year when he ran for 259 yards on 25 carries against the Denver Broncos. He set the Chiefs single-game rushing record that day, not the last record he’d break as a Chief.
He became the first running back in NFL history to rush for 1,100 or more yards with fewer than 200 carries in 2009. The following season he continued where he left off in 2009 and rushed for 1,467 yards on 230 carries. That 6.38 yards per carry average was the second-highest in NFL history, just behind the record of 6.40 set by the legendary Jim Brown. He made his first Pro Bowl and named to his first AP All-Pro team that year. Charles was quickly turning into a legend himself in Kansas City.
Unfortunately, that legend took a hit early in the 2011 season. During a week two loss to the Detroit Lions, Charles tore his ACL and was out for the season. This injury did not keep Charles down long as he returned with a vengeance in 2012. He rushed for 1,509 yards and 5 touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. It was during this season that he became the all-time NFL leader in yards per carry average. He had a career average of 5.82 which broke Brown’s record of 5.22.
These tremendous stats continued in 2013 and 2014 for Charles. He continued to average five yards a carry and pile up the touchdowns. It was against the Oakland Raiders in 2013 that he played his greatest game. He caught 8 passes for 195 yards and scored 5 touchdowns that day. The pictures of Charles running into the Black Hole of Oakland will be an iconic image in Chiefs history that will last forever. The following season he passed Priest Holmes as the team’s all-time leading rusher on fewer than 1,200 carries.
It wasn’t all glory for Charles, however. He had a problem with fumbles early in his career which led to his lack of playing time his first couple years. Every Chiefs fan will remember the fumble against the Denver Broncos in 2015. With the game tied and only 30 seconds left, his fumble was recovered by the Broncos and returned for a touchdown.
Charles also had injuries that hampered his entire career in Kansas City. He got injured in the playoff game against the Colts in 2014 which the team went on to lose after he left. He tore his ACL for the second time early in the 2015 season and had to watch the team win 11 straight games without him. That injury carried over into this past season where he only played in two games before needing more knee surgeries.
The injuries are the main reason Charles was released on Tuesday. He was set to make $7 million this season or the Chiefs could release him for nothing. Coming off multiple knee surgeries and hitting that magic running back age of 30 meant the Chiefs had no choice. They didn’t have the cap room to take a chance on Charles when they could release him without any penalty. It’s the harsh business side of the NFL that players and fans understand. Still, it doesn’t make it any less sad to see a great player leave.
Charles will always be loved and remembered in KC. I personally will miss watching him turn nothing into an 80-yard touchdown. Seeing him look like he’s jogging as he flies past every defender in the league. He is the greatest running back in Chiefs history by any measure you use, and will receive a standing ovation every time he comes into Arrowhead Stadium for the rest of his life — whether that is with another team he signs with or when he gets inducted in the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
It may be hard to say goodbye, but it is great to remember and I will always remember Charles as the greatest running back to ever put on the red and gold.