After being so cruelly robbed from postseason glory in 2010, 20 due to injury, earning it in his final Kansas City season would be poetic. We can hope that Charles makes an unspeakable comeback in time for the playoffs and finally gets the recognition he deserves. We can all hope for a borderline miracle. 25 will always be making the first man miss before picking up a couple yards he had no right getting. It will be thinking of his countless runs that should have been losses, only to end in a 4-yard gain. In my mind’s eye, the essence of Jamaal Charles will always be much simpler. Then there will be his five touchdowns against the Raiders in 2013, giving the Black Hole a show it will never forget. Others will talk of his 259-yard, two-touchdown affair in Week 17 of the 2009 season at Denver. Some will point to his 40-yard scoring jaunt against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2010 AFC Wild Card Game. If only to have that wink in time back, there would have been a lasting, thunderous ovation.įor all who watched, there will be a different favorite run, favorite game. He came out of the contest in front of a packed Arrowhead Stadium, a capacity crowd unaware of that moment’s magnitude. Oddly enough, Charles’ last carry with the Chiefs was on a stretch play to the right against the New Orleans Saints. No matter when he finished up, it would be far too soon. He was fury and grace wrapped into a human dynamo, showcasing the absurd every autumn Sunday. Charles was brilliant, a Rembrandt in cleats, painting furious strokes with every step. Nobody who enjoyed Charles’ vision or speed, elusiveness or power, will ever forget him when talking about the greatest running backs they ever laid eyes on. It will be a wonderful day, and a monument to his vast achievements. His name will be placed on the Ring of Honor in Kansas City. He did not play long enough or find the spotlight often enough, but he will live on in the memories of those who bared witness. He’ll own 64 total touchdowns and the best yards per carry average in NFL history by a wide margin at 5.5.Ĭharles will likely never see the Hall of Fame. If he never puts on pads again, Charles will finish with a franchise-record 7,260 rushing yards. He’ll never see that money, as Kansas City needs it for Dontari Poe and Eric Berry. Next year, he has the final year of his contract which calls for $7 million.

His knees are done, the life in his legs evaporated with the wear and tear of nine seasons in the great American arena. In football, he is old and unreliable, with a creaky knee that won’t let up.Ĭharles can technically come back in Week 17 or for the playoffs, but that possibility seems remote at best. native is a young man with a beautiful wife and two daughters. On Tuesday, the Chiefs running back was placed on the Injured Reserve list, in need of another knee surgery. This is where we are with Jamaal Charles. What can you say when it looks like the final curtain has fallen on an indelible journey, one to long be spoken about with children and grandchildren? What can you say when someone is willing to go through a pair of ACL surgeries and grueling rehabs, along with thousands of collisions in the pursuit of glory, all too often knowing the effort was in vein? What else do you say to someone who has given everything he has to you, and millions more like you, who root for 53 grown men in matching clothes?

Jamaal charles knee injury