Jamaal Charles

On May 1, 2019, Charles retired after signing a one-day ceremonial contract with the Chiefs.

Charles signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 9, 2018. He was released on October 22, 2018. He played in two games with the Jaguars in the 2018 season and only totaled six carries for seven rushing yards and two receptions for seven receiving yards.

On February 28, 2017, Charles was released by the Chiefs.

On May 2, 2017, Charles signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract with the Denver Broncos. He was part of a backfield rotation that was shared with C. J. Anderson and Devontae Booker. In the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football, Charles had 10 rushes for 40 yards but lost a fumble in the 24–21 victory.. In Week 3, in a 26–16 loss to the Buffalo Bills, he had nine carries for 56 rushing yards and scored his lone rushing touchdown of the season. In 14 games, he had 296 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 23 receptions, and 129 receiving yards.

Heading into the 2016 season, Charles never fully recovered from his torn ACL suffered the previous season. He returned to the field in Week 5 and played in three games recording 40 rushing yards plus a rushing touchdown along with two receptions for 14 yards. He suffered a setback with his knee prior to Week 8 and needed a second surgery on his knee to trim his meniscus. He was placed on injured reserve on November 1, 2016.

Charles has reported being diagnosed with a learning disability as a child, having difficulty reading, and being mocked and teased. In 2015, he shared his experience including being invited to participate in the Special Olympics: "[...] I was afraid. I was lost. When I was a boy, I had trouble reading. I found out I had a learning disability. People made fun of me. They said I would never go anywhere. But I learned I can fly. When I was 10 years old, I had a chance to compete in the Special Olympics. That's right, the Special Olympics gave me my first chance to discover the talent I did not know that I had. When I competed in the Special Olympics, I found out just how fast I was. I stood high on the podium, getting the gold medal in track and field."

Charles earned First Team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career. He was named to his second consecutive and third career Pro Bowl. He was ranked as the eighth best player in the NFL on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

On July 23, 2014, one day after threatening to hold out of training camp, Charles agreed to 2-year, $18.1 million extension making him one of the top five highest paid running backs in the NFL. On September 14, 2014, Charles suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos. On September 29, against the New England Patriots, he had 18 carries for 92 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 41–14 victory to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. On October 19, against the San Diego Chargers, Charles passed Priest Holmes's mark of 6,070 rushing yards to become the all-time leading rusher for the Chiefs. In the next game, he had 67 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 34–7 victory over the St. Louis Rams. On November 16, against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 159 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 24–20 victory. On December 7, against the Arizona Cardinals, he had 91 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, two receptions, 20 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown in the 17–14 loss. Overall, he finished the 2014 season with 1,033 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 40 receptions, 291 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns. He tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns, with Travis Kelce, for the second time in his career. He was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl for the 2014 season. He was ranked 12th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.

In his true freshman season with the Longhorns, Charles was an instant contributor. In his collegiate debut against Louisiana-Lafayette, he had 135 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 60–3 victory. Two weeks later, against Rice, he had 189 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 51–10 victory. On October 8, in the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma, he had 116 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 45–12 victory. Overall, he rushed 119 times for 878 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. He finished second in rushing attempts and rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns. He was part of the national championship in the Rose Bowl over Southern California. He had five carries for 34 rushing yards in the 41–38 victory.

After a disappointing performance in his sophomore campaign, where he did not reach the 1,000 yards rushing mark, Charles opted not to participate in track so he could focus on getting bigger for football. He went over 100 rushing yards only once, which was against Rice in a 52–7 victory. He had a 72-yard reception in the 2006 Alamo Bowl 26–24 victory over Iowa. Overall, he finished with 831 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 18 receptions, 183 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.

In his first professional football game, Charles started the game and rushed for 28 yards on five carries and had two receptions for six yards in the 17–10 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1. In Week 9, with Larry Johnson out, Charles had 18 carries for 106 rushing yards in a 30–27 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 12, against the Buffalo Bills, Charles had his first professional touchdown on a 36-yard reception from quarterback Tyler Thigpen in the 54–31 loss. In Week 16, Charles had three catches for 102 receiving yards against the Miami Dolphins. In Charles's first professional season, he ended with 67 carries for 357 rushing yards for a 5.3 yards per carry average. In addition, he had 27 receptions for 272 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

Charles started the 2013 season with 77 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, three receptions, and 23 receiving yards in the 28–2 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. On October 6, against the Tennessee Titans, he had 22 carries for 108 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 26–17 victory. In the next game, a 24–7 victory over the Oakland Raiders, he had 78 rushing yards and two more rushing touchdowns. On November 24, against the San Diego Chargers, he had 115 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. On December 8, against the Washington Redskins, he had 19 carries for 150 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 45–10 victory.

On December 15, in the second divisional game against the Oakland Raiders, Charles had eight receptions for 195 receiving yards, eight carries for 20 rushing yards, and five total touchdowns (four receiving, one rushing) in a 56–31 Chiefs victory. Charles's performance made him the first Chiefs player to score five touchdowns in a game since Abner Haynes accomplished the feat for the Dallas Texans in 1961. He became the first player in NFL history to have four touchdown receptions and one rushing touchdown in a single game. He scored 30 total points in the game, which was tied with for the most by any player in a single game in the 2013 season, and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Charles's performance was only the 11th game in NFL history where a player accounted for at least 30 points, the first since Clinton Portis accomplished the feat in 2003. His 195 receiving yards were the fourth-most for a running back in a single game in NFL history and the most since Marshall Faulk had 204 against the Chicago Bears in 1999. In Week 16, against the Indianapolis Colts, he had 13 carries for 106 rushing yards in the 23–7 loss.

Overall, Charles finished the 2013 season with 259 carries for 1,287 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with 70 receptions for 693 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Charles ended up leading the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. In the Chiefs' Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts, Charles recorded three carries for 18 rushing yards before having to leave the 45–44 loss with a concussion in the first quarter.

In the season opener against the Houston Texans, Charles had 16 carries for 57 rushing yards to go along with five receptions for 46 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 27–20 victory. Four days later, against the Denver Broncos, he had 125 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 31–24 loss on Thursday Night Football. In the loss, he had a key fumble late in the game that was returned for a touchdown by Bradley Roby and gave the Broncos the winning points. In the next game, a 38–28 loss to the Green Bay Packers, he had 11 carries for 49 rushing yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns. On October 11, Charles tore his ACL in his right knee in a Week 5 game against the Chicago Bears. He was placed on injured reserve ending his season. Despite the injury, Charles was still ranked 75th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

Coming off of an ACL injury in 2011, Charles had an All-Pro caliber season, running for 1,509 yards and five touchdowns. Once again, Charles proved to be very efficient running the ball as he managed a 5.3 yard per carry average on the year. In the season opening 40–24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, he had 87 rushing yards on 16 carries in his first action back from injury. In Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, Charles ran a career-high 33 times for 233 rushing yards, scored a rushing touchdown, and caught six passes for 55 yards to earn his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod. Charles became the first player in franchise history to rush for at least 200 rushing yards and have at least 50 receiving yards in the same game. His 91-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter was the longest rushing play in franchise history, a feat later tied by Damien Williams in the 2019 season. In Week 5 against Baltimore Ravens, Charles had 31 carries for 140 rushing yards in the 9–6 loss. However, in Week 8, Charles carried the ball only five times for four rushing yards in a 26–16 loss to the Oakland Raiders. When asked the reason why, head coach Romeo Crennel said "Now, that I'm not exactly sure, either." In Week 10, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had 23 carries for 100 rushing yards in the 16–13 loss. On November 25, in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos, he had 23 carries for 107 yards in the 17–9 loss. In a 30–7 loss to the Cleveland Browns later in the season, Charles carried the ball 18 times for 165 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. On December 2, against the Carolina Panthers, he had 27 carries for 127 rushing yards in the 27–21 victory. In a 20–13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Charles carried the ball 22 times for 226 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He became the second player in franchise history, joining Larry Johnson, to record two games with at least 200 rushing yards in a single season. Charles's performance was his second career game with over 200 rushing yards while averaging more than ten yards a carry. He became only the second player in NFL history to accomplish the feat, after Adrian Peterson, who accomplished his feat in the 2012 season as well. Charles carried the ball at least 20 times in six games, and in each of those games managed at least 100 yards. This has been a trend throughout his entire career, in every game he has carried the ball 20 times, he has gained at least 100 yards. On December 23, 2012, following his qualifying 750th career carry, Charles broke NFL legend Jim Brown's 47-year-old all-time average yards per carry record of 5.22 with an average of 5.82. He was named to his second Pro Bowl as a result of his successful season. On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013, he was ranked 20th by his peers.

Charles's 2011 season was short lived. In a Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Charles rushed for 56 yards on 10 carries and had a receiving touchdown. The following week, against the Detroit Lions, Charles ran for 27 yards on two carries, before suffering an ACL injury. Chiefs head coach Todd Haley confirmed the next day that Charles would miss the remainder of the 2011 season. Charles was officially placed on injured reserve on September 19.

In the 2010 season, Charles shared the majority of backfield carries with Thomas Jones. The Chiefs opened up the 2010 season with a 21–14 win over their division rival, the San Diego Chargers. In that game, Charles played a pivotal role, including a 56-yard rushing score. On October 31, against the Buffalo Bills, he had 22 carries for 177 rushing yards in the 13–10 victory. On November 28, against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 22 carries for 173 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 42–24 victory. In the following game, he had 116 rushing yards in the 10–6 victory over the Denver Broncos. in Week 15, against the St. Louis Rams, he had 11 carries for 126 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 27–13 victory. Charles finished the season with 1,467 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on only 230 carries. In addition, he had 45 receptions for 468 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He was voted to his first career Pro Bowl. His 6.38 yards per carry average for the season was the second-highest average in NFL history, second only to Hall of Famer Jim Brown, only two one-hundredths of a yard off of the record pace set by the Browns legend.

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 the Wild Card Round against the Baltimore 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 was honored for his performance in the 2010 season by being selected to his first AP All-Pro team. On the NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2011, Charles was ranked the 33rd by his fellow players and was also one of the youngest players on the list.

Charles's first year as a Chief was hardly in the spotlight; as a backup to halfback Larry Johnson, Charles rushed only 67 times for 357 yards. His breakout season came the following year in 2009. In his second year, Charles rushed 190 times for 1,120 yards, despite only starting 10 games after Larry Johnson was suspended. Shortly thereafter, Johnson was released, leaving Charles as Kansas City's starting halfback.

In the first six games of the 2009 season, Charles saw a limited role with 23 carries for 116 rushing yards and 14 receptions for 120 receiving yards to go along with kick return duties. During Week 9 of the 2009 NFL season, Larry Johnson was released and Charles was promoted to first-string but split carries with Kolby Smith. In limited action against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, Charles managed 36 yards on only six carries for a six-yard per carry average. During Week 10, against the Oakland Raiders, Charles ran for 103 yards on 18 carries including a 44-yard touchdown run, the Chiefs first rushing touchdown of the year and the first rushing touchdown of Charles's professional career, in the 16–10 victory. In Week 11, in a 27–24 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Charles returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. He went on to have 17 carries for 58 rushing yards and had a two-yard reception for a touchdown. He became the fourth player in franchise history to have a receiving touchdown and a kickoff return touchdown in the same game. Charles was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 14, against the Buffalo Bills, Charles ran for a 76-yard touchdown, one of the longest runs in Chiefs history, as part of a 20-carry, 143-rushing yard performance. In Week 15, against the Cleveland Browns, he had 25 carries for 154 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 41–34 loss. In Week 16, in a 17–10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 24 carries for 102 rushing yards. In Week 17, on the road against the Denver Broncos, Charles rushed for a career-high 259 yards on 25 carries, scoring two rushing touchdowns and breaking the Chiefs' single-game rushing record, in the 44–24 victory. Charles became only the fourth player in NFL history to run for over 250 yards in a single game while averaging over 10 yards a carry. On the season, Charles became the only player in NFL history to rush for 1,100 or more yards in 200 or fewer carries.

Charles decided to forgo his senior season with Texas in favor of joining the NFL as a professional football player in the 2008 NFL Draft. This decision came after earlier statements that he would stay with Texas. In November, Charles said he would return for his senior season rather than enter professional football in the NFL. Sources reported in December 2007 that Charles and fellow Longhorn Jermichael Finley had filed paperwork with the NFL to evaluate how high they might be drafted if they decided enter professional football in the NFL Draft instead of returning for their senior season. Mack Brown did not comment about specific players but said, "We always try to help our guys get as much information as possible when it comes to the NFL. We encourage and help them go through the process... All of our underclassmen have told us they will be coming back, but if you're playing well enough to be considered an NFL prospect, going through the process can only help you better understand it and realize what you need to work on to improve your status." Charles said he would not go pro unless he was predicted to be chosen in the first round of the draft. After the 2007 Holiday Bowl, Charles said, "Right now, I’m probably coming back. I didn’t think I did that good in the game. Next year maybe I’ll be up for the Heisman. I will come back." From 2000–2007 the Longhorns have had seven players taken in the Top 10 draft picks by the NFL, more than any other school. On January 2 Charles announced he received and was happy with the results of his draft evaluation and that he would declare for the draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Charles in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 73rd overall pick, acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in the Jared Allen trade. He was the ninth running back to be selected that year. Charles thought he would go early in the second round but said he had no regrets about leaving college early. Charles was expected to begin his career as the Chiefs' No. 3 back behind Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith.

In the summer prior to the 2007 season, some observers believed he was the fastest college running back in the upcoming season. CBS SportsLine said, "Track star Jamaal Charles has the potential at running back to enjoy a break-out season and possesses the kind of breakaway speed that lead to an 80-yard rush and a 70-yard catch last season." Athlon Sports remarked, "Over the last two years, running back Jamaal Charles has run for 1,702 yards at 6.2 yards per carry with 18 touchdowns despite starting only four games. He has the job to himself and should have a breakout year."

In 2007, Charles rushed for 1,619 yards, with an average of 6.3 yardsper carry. Charles started the season with 112 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 21–13 victory over Arkansas State. In the next game, a 34–13 victory over TCU, he had 134 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. In the next game, a 35–32 victory away victory at Central Florida, he had 153 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. In the next game, he had 72 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 58–14 victory over Rice. Despite his successes early in the season, Mack Brown and Greg Davis hinted that Charles could face less playing time as a result of his fumbling problems. Charles said that he felt a deep remorse over his fumbles and felt that he is the biggest reason the team lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Red River Shootout. Texas running backs coach Ken Rucker and former Longhorn running back Earl Campbell both worked with Charles on his ball handling. Greg Davis said he wanted to get the ball to Charles "in space", on pitches and passes, instead of in heavy traffic up the center.

On October 28, 2007, Charles rushed for 290 yards in the 28–25 victory, the most ever against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the fourth-highest total in Texas Longhorns history. His 216 yards in the fourth quarter were just six shy of the NCAA record for a single quarter set by the University of Washington Huskies's Corey Dillon in 1996. For these accomplishments, Charles won a fan vote for AT&T All-America Player of the Week. He followed that up with 180 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 38–35 victory over Oklahoma State. On November 10, against Texas Tech, he had 174 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 59–43 victory. In the 2007 Holiday Bowl against Arizona State, he had 161 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 52–34 victory.

On March 11, 2006, Charles placed fourth in the NCAA 60-meter indoor track and field championship finals. On May 14, 2006, Charles captured his first conference title and the third Big 12 100-meter title for Texas by winning the event in 10.23 at the Big 12 outdoor meet. He led the 200 meter race after the preliminary round but elected not to participate in the final, as Texas had the Big 12 team title well in hand. On June 10, at the NCAA outdoor competition, Charles took fifth place in the 100 meter finals, edging out UTEP's stand-out sprinter Churandy Martina (sixth place), who earlier in the year ran a 9.76 (wind-aided) 100-meters. Charles also placed seventh in the 200 meter finals, and ran the third leg of the 4 × 100 Texas Longhorn relay team, earning a fifth place in the finals. Charles's efforts helped the Longhorns earn a third place showing for the men's track and field team, the highest since a second-place finish at the 1997 NCAA finals. Thus, Charles completed his first collegiate track season as a four-time All-American (60m indoor, 100m outdoor, 200m outdoor, 4 × 100 m relay outdoor).

Charles followed up his stellar junior season by rushing for 2,056 yards and 25 touchdowns during his senior year with the Titans. The Associated Press named him to their first team all-state squad and he was declared the Houston Chronicle area offensive MVP. Charles was also named to the 2005 Parade All-America Football Team and was the District 22-5A Player of the Year both his junior and senior year. Charles participated in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Charles attended and played college football for the University of Texas from 2005 to 2007 under head coach Mack Brown.

Charles was a standout track athlete at Port Arthur (TX) Memorial. In the summer between his sophomore and junior years, Charles won the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics. He went on to win the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles Texas 5A state championships with times of 13.69 and 36.03 seconds, respectively, his senior year.

Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Texas, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft.