KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Early Tuesday morning Kansas City sports talk radio station 610 AM broke the story Jamaal Charles will sign a one-day contract so the former Texas Longhorn running back can retire from football as a Kansas City chief.
Charles spent nine of his 11 seasons in the National Football League as a Kansas City chief. The third-round selection of the 2008 NFL Draft is the Chiefs' all-time leading rusher, with 7,620 rushing yards. He suffered a pair of significant injuries, tearing an ACL in both 2011 and in 2015.
The Chiefs released Charles in February of 2017. He completed his professional career with the Broncos and Jaguars.
Prior to his storied NFL career, Charles was a Longhorn legend. As a running back for Texas, Charles rushed for 3,328 yards and scored 36 touchdowns. A guy known for his blazing speed, Charles ran a 4.38 40-yard dash prior to the 2008 NFL Draft.
Selvin Young, a former Longhorn running back himself, shared the carries with Charles for two seasons in 2005 and in 2006.
During a Skype interview with Young, who was at his home in Houston, I asked him how he would describe Charles' career.
"Explosive," said Young.
"When you see him touch that rock you hold your breath and you're waiting for a bolt of lightning to come out of him, and he's going to take it all the way to the house."
That's an accurate description of the speed Charles possessed. His speed and vision changed games. Just ask Nebraska and Oklahoma State in 2007.
Charles was as special person as he was player on the football field. His teammates can all attest to that, including Selvin Young.
"I knew right away he had something inside of him," said Young.
"He was Port Arthur, Texas, a small town. He just had a big heart. He would always take it in stride, nothing never bogged him down. I knew he had a little toughness deep inside. So, for him to get in there and show the world he could be an every down [running] back to me was amazing. For me to watch a guy like that grow and succeed and average just about more yards per carry than anyone in the league history, I thought was real special."
Charles finished his career averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
What's next? The NFL Hall of Fame in Canton? That's possible.