By Jesse Neo, PhDJun 24th, 2024
Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is a retired American football player who played as a running back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, winning the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was picked by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Charles started as a backup to Larry Johnson in his first year, running for 357 yards on 67 attempts. He had his best season in 2009 when he ran for 1,120 yards on 190 carries in his second year. He became the starting halfback for Kansas City after Johnson was suspended and then released.
During the next few years, he participated in four Pro Bowls and was chosen for two All-Pro teams. In 2013, he scored the most rushing touchdowns in the league. However, he had injuries and only played five games in 2015 and 2016. Ultimately, he was released from the team.
Charles then had a season with the Denver Broncos and played 2 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018. He holds the record for highest yards per carry among players with at least 1,000 carries, with 5.4 yards per carry.
Early life and education
Charles said he had a hard time reading and was made fun of when he was young because of a learning disability. In 2015, he talked about joining theSpecial Olympics: "[...] I was scared and confused. As a kid, reading was tough for me. I later learned I had a learning disability. People teased me and said I wouldn't succeed. But I proved them wrong. At age 10, I got to take part in the Special Olympics. It was there that I discovered my hidden talent. I realized how fast I could be while competing. Winning a gold medal in track and field made me feel proud."
Charles played high school football for Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas. When he was a junior, he ran for 2,051 yards and 25 touchdowns, helping Memorial reach the 5A Division II quarterfinals. The Texas Sports Writers Association named him first-team all-state, and the Associated Press named him second-team all-state.
Charles had another impressive season, rushing for 2,056 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior with the Titans. He was recognized by the Associated Press with a spot on the first-team all-state squad and named the offensive MVP by the Houston Chronicle. Additionally, he earned a spot on the 2005 Parade All-America Football Team and was the District 22-5A Player of the Year for both his junior and senior years. Charles also played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Charles has won the Willie Ray Smith Award twice. This award is for the best offensive player in southeast Texas.
College career
Charles was a standout track athlete atPort Arthur (TX) Memorial. In the summer between his sophom*ore and junior years, Charles won the bronze medal in the400m hurdlesat the2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics.
He later won the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles Texas 5A state championships during his senior year, completing them in 13.69 and 36.03 seconds each.
In college, he ran track in his first year, competing both indoors and outdoors. On March 11, 2006, Charles came fourth in the NCAA 60-meter indoor track and field championship finals. On May 14, 2006, Charles won his first conference title and the third Big 12 100-meter title for Texas by finishing first in 10.23 at the Big 12 outdoor meet.
He was in the lead for the 200-meter race initially, but decided not to compete in the final as Texas was already winning the Big 12 team title. On June 10, during the NCAA outdoor event, Charles placed fifth in the 100-meter finals, beating UTEP's fast sprinter Churandy Martina who came in sixth place. earlier in the year, Martina ran a 9.76 (with the help of wind) in the 100-meters.
Charles finished seventh in the 200-meter race finals and was part of the Texas Longhorn relay team that placed fifth in the 4x100 relay. His performance contributed to the Longhorns' third-place finish in the men's track and field competition, their best result since coming in second at the 1997 NCAA finals. Charles ended his college track career as a four-time All-American in various events.
Charles went to and played college football for the University of Texas from 2005 to 2007 with head coach Mack Brown.
TheKansas City Chiefsselected Charles in the third round of the2008 NFL draftwith the 73rd overall pick, acquired from theMinnesota Vikingsin theJared Allentrade. He was the ninth running back to be selected that year.
Charles thought he would be picked early in the second round but said he's not sorry for leaving college early. He was supposed to start as the Chiefs' No. 3 running back behind Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith.
Charles had a solid debut in the NFL, starting the game and gaining 28 yards on five carries, with two receptions for six yards in a 17-10 loss to theNew England Patriotsin Week 1. In Week 9, he had 18 carries for 106 yards in a 30-27 loss to theTampa Bay Buccaneers whenLarry Johnson was out. Finally, in Week 12 against theBuffalo Bills, Charles scored his first professional touchdown on a 36-yard reception from quarterbackTyler Thigpen in the 54-31 defeat.
In the first six games of the 2009 season, Charles had limited playing time with 23 carries for 116 rushing yards and 14 receptions for 120 receiving yards, in addition to handling kick returns. By Week 9 of the 2009 NFL season, Larry Johnson was let go and Charles moved up to first-string, sharing carries with Kolby Smith.
Charles was the fourth player in team history to score a touchdown from a reception and a kickoff return in one game. He was chosen as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 14, he had a 76-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills, one of the longest runs in Chiefs history, along with 143 rushing yards from 20 carries.
Charles was just the fourth player ever in the NFL to run for more than 250 yards in a single game with an average of over 10 yards per carry. In the same season, he made history as the sole player in the NFL to rush for 1,100 yards or more in 200 carries or less.
In 2010, Charles and Thomas Jones shared most of the running plays for the Chiefs. The season started with a 21-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers. Charles ended the year with 1,467 rushing yards and five touchdowns from running, carrying the ball only 230 times.
Also, he caught the ball 45 times for 468 receiving yards and scored three receiving touchdowns. He was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl. His average of 6.38 yards per carry for the season was the second-highest in NFL history, just slightly behind the record set by Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
On December 11, 2010, the Chiefs reached an agreement with Charles on a five-year, $32.5 million deal that included $13 million guaranteed.Charles made his postseason debut in theWild Card Roundagainst theBaltimore Ravens. He had nine carries for 82 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 30-7 loss. In the 2011 Pro Bowl, Charles rushed for 72-yards on 10 carries and scored one touchdown.
Charles did really well in 2010 and got picked for the first AP All-Pro team. In 2011, his fellow players ranked him 33rd on the NFL Network's Top 100 Players list, even though he was one of the youngest players on the list.
In the first game of the season against the Houston Texans, Charles gained 103 yards and scored a touchdown in the 27-20 win. Just four days later, in the game against the Denver Broncos, he ran for 125 yards and scored another touchdown in the 24-31 loss.
In the loss, he had a key fumble late in the game that was returned for a touchdown byBradley Robyand gave the Broncos the winning points.In the next game, a 28-38 loss to theGreen Bay Packers, he had 11 carries for 49 rushing yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns.
On October 11, Charles ripped his ACL in his right knee during a Week 5 game against the Chicago Bears. He was put on injured reserve, which ended his season. Even with the injury, Charles was still voted as the 75th best player by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
Before the 2016 season, Charles never fully got better from his ACL injury from the year before. He came back to play in Week 5 and was in three games. He had 40 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and caught two passes for 14 yards. Then, he had more knee trouble before Week 8 and had to have another surgery on his meniscus. On November 1, 2016, he was put on injured reserve. The Chiefs released him on February 28, 2017.
Charles joined the Denver Broncos on May 2, 2017, by signing a one-year deal worth $3.75 million. He shared playing time with C. J. Anderson and Devontae Booker in the team's backfield rotation.
In the first game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Charles ran 10 times for 40 yards but lost the ball in the 24-21 win. In Week 3, in a 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills, he got his only rushing touchdown of the season. In total, he played 14 games and finished with 296 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 23 catches, and 129 receiving yards.
Charles joined the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 9, 2018. He left the team on October 22, 2018. During the 2018 season, he played in two games for the Jaguars. In those games, he only had six carries for seven rushing yards and two receptions for seven receiving yards.
On May 1, 2019, Charles retired after he signed a contract with the Chiefs for one day. After signing the special contract, he went to the practice field for a symbolic "last carry", where he received the ball from Patrick Mahomes.
Charles got into the University of Texas Hall of Fame in 2020. Then, in September 2023, he was put up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Net worth of Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles is a pro football player from America who has a net worth of $13 million. He was born in Port Arthur, Texas in December 1986. Charles played as a running back at Port Arthur Memorial High School. He then went on to play college football at the University of Texas, where he achieved several accolades including winning a BCS National Championship, being named a Freshman All-American, and receiving the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award in 2005.
Charles earned top honors in the Big 12 in 2007 and in 2005. He was also recognized as the Most Valuable Player for the Texas Longhorns in 2007 and won the Clyde Littlefield Outstanding Offensive Back Award three times.
Charles was picked 73rd by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2008 NFL Draft and has played for the Chiefs his whole NFL career. He is the leading rusher in Kansas City Chiefs history and has won the Derrick Thomas Award four times. Charles made the Pro Bowl in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
He has been named to the First-team All-Pro twice and the Second-team All-Pro once. Charles led the AFC in rushing in 2013 and holds the NFL record for the highest average yards per carry at 5.5. In 2010, he agreed to a five-year contract with the Chiefs worth $32.5 million, and in 2014, he signed a two-year extension for $18.1 million.
