The day finally came to say goodbye to the Chiefs best running back ever…
Jamaal Charles just had too many injuries and hadn’t played much the past two seasons.
Still he holds many of the Chiefs rushing records, including most yards per carry and has four Pro Bowls. Sadly Charles played on average and bad Chiefs teams, so a Hall of Fame career is highly unlikely.
He will be a Chiefs Hall of Famer of course.
There was no big playoff win or game for Jamaal and that is a big reason he can’t get into the HOF down the road.
The Chiefs dumped Charles because they needed the cap room to sign other players.
Eric Berry finally got his money – $70 million over the next 6 years. He’s had a storybook career getting better with age and of course beating cancer. Last year Berry was THE best safety and was an All Pro. He’s earned the money and is the team leader today.
Berry
Charles may catch on with another team, but it’s highly unlikely he can ever play at the level he did a few years back. Age, injuries and his size are all working against him.
Adrian Peterson was released from the Vikings, so yes, the Chiefs will be taking a look. However I’d be surprised if KC signed him.
Like Charles, Peterson’s had little action the past two seasons. Injuries and age are working against him as well. He’s a bigger back so maybe he can play at a solid level again, but that’s far from certain.
Lord knows KC needs a good running back now.
All of that said, I feel bad for Charles…
Not a whole lotta hoopla on his leaving – guess it was expected. I believe Chiefs fans wanted to give Charles one more try but that’s that.
Jamaal will get some looks from other NFL teams. I’d say as a situational back at best. We all wish him well. Too bad he played on sub-par teams with no playoff runs.
He deserved better.
It would be nice to see Ware and West find their mojo this season.
Ware is some what of beast, and West is pretty speedy.
Deserved better than what? Better than $40MM or $50MM and the admiration of an entire city? Football is a business. It has ALWAYS been a “what have you done for me lately” business. Charles was fabulous and one of the all-time best Chiefs. He was paid a King’s ransom for being one of the best and his immense talent.
He got everything he deserved and some might argue, more. I loved the guy. But, I don’t think the Chiefs “owed” him anything more. All he needs to do is look at his bank account to feel the Chiefs’ appreciation.
I never said Jamaal was under appreciated in KC or by the Chiefs. I believe cutting him was the right move. WE need new stars like Hill and Kelce…we need a new back…or two…and more…MAKING ROOM FOR ROMO?
CG, do NOT say that 4 letter word! ROMO.
Jamaal never made 50m for the chiefs. He made 29 mil over 6 seasons or what Alex Smith makes in 1.5 years.
Good mo(a)nin’! [double entendre]… time now for another edition ‘take a shot at a swiss’, your author author, encore encore, more more man Kerouac (hold my calls, Della.)
“Charles played on average and bad Chiefs teams, so a Hall of Fame career is highly unlikely.”
– probably true, but open to debate. For what it’s worth, Charles can be compared two other latter-day RB’s, Terrell Davis (who was just voted in the HOF) & Priest Holmes, the best all around RB in Chiefs franchise history, opine mine.
T. Davis ~ 1655 atts / 7607 yards / 4.6 avg / 71 tds / 1 Superbowl win
Charles ~ 1332 atts / 7260 yards /5.5 avg / 43 tds / o Superbowl wins
Holmes ~ 1780 atts / 8172 yards / 4.6 avg / 72 tds / 1 Superbowl win
Limited time & internet paper prevents more in-depth narrative; requires an followup post 🙂
Charles had reportedly signed a team-friendly contract a number of years ago, which comes across as noble (least, noble a multi-millionaire eschewing a few shekels more – taking one for the ‘team’ as ’twere.) Flip side, that he didn’t play for the last two years in general while still raking in million$, evened the scale opine those so inclined.
Upshot: a career wash if you will, relatively speaking: a great career (on run of the mill teams), and great stats (though in a lesser era) that, as the game itself today, does not measure up the means, teams and players greater past yesteryear, sweet yesteryear… Amen.
Not as big some RB’s, he was conversely faster than most. Oft-nicked yet surprisingly resilient, all considered. Up until last year, he could generally get his team a first two every two carries. 2016, his 3rd injury-plagued season in his last six, his average ypc dropped to its lowest ever career – which brings us to a final autopsy him.
Overhype.
Kerouac’s issue is not with Charles, rather is with the NFL/the simplistic way they anoint someone ‘best ever’ based an particular stat, this case ‘ypc’. In a world they created & being in charge the calculator’s programming, can do/say whatever they like, to include making 2 + 2 = 5.
Pronouncing Charles as having the best ypc average in NFL history = poppycock. Are many players who had better ypc averages, most notably Marion Motley, who ran the ball more than a little, just not enough, according the NFL’s arbitrary ‘enough carries’ edict. By any measure, 5.7 ypc Motley is greater than the 5.5 of Charles.
Conclusion: every player in professional sports is great relatively speaking, by virtue having ‘made it’ there. Charles was great. He was not the greatest ever be it ypc or in terms comparison with the other all-time greats… subjectively speaking, of course.
Separating the ‘greatest’ from the not as great, a debate which will never resolve in consensus.
🙂
Typo: make that 2 Superbowl wins, T. Davis of the Broncos
🙂
make that 0 superbowl wins for priest holmes.
And talk about old news at the star admin. This story is old as anything in the star. Typical of Mr. Glazer. Always behind on everything!
No, Holmes won a Superbowl as a member the Baltimore Ravens 2000 (of course he never won one with the swiss; trix are for kids, Superbowl’s are for real NFL teams.)
take my picture sir
Ah another hater. Holmes does have a super bowl with Baltimore…what story is old fake name hater?