It’s the end of an era, in both Minnesota (possibly) and Kansas City (most likely).
On the same day the the Vikings announced the team won’t pick up the 2017 option on running back Adrian Peterson’s contract, the Chiefs terminated the contract of running back Jamaal Charles.
The official statement contains plenty of high praise for Charles. In contrast to the Vikings, who have left the door open for a return by Peterson, the Chiefs seem to be moving on from Charles, for good.
“On behalf of my family and the entire Kansas City Chiefs team, I’d like to thank Jamaal Charles for his contributions and dedication over the last nine seasons,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Jamaal has been one of the most prolific players in our organization’s history, and I have an enormous amount of respect for what he has accomplished. He’ll always be a part of the Chiefs family, and we’ll be ready to honor him for his outstanding playing career when the time is right.”
G.M. John Dorsey’s comments had an even stronger sense of finality.
“I have a great deal of admiration for Jamaal Charles, his toughness, and what he’s been able to achieve in his time in Kansas City,” Dorsey said. “These decisions are never easy, but we felt it was in the best interests of the club to move on at this time. We wish Jamaal and his family the best of luck in their next step.”
Charles received particularly high praise from coach Andy Reid.
“I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of talented players over the years, and Jamaal Charles ranks up there with the great ones,” Reid said. “I appreciate the way he came to work every day, he gave us everything he had day-in and day-out. I’ve said it before, I think he’s a future Hall of Famer.”
Chiefs Hall of Fame, yes. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will be a tougher sell.
Charles ranks 59th on the all-time rushing list, with 7,260 yards. He’s behind Terrell Davis, who got in just this year after a long wait -- and who has a pair of Super Bowl titles to add to his accomplishments. Charles has limited playoff experience.
But there still may be a few chapters left in Charles’ career. He struggled to recover from a torn ACL in 2016. If/when he’s healthy again, the 30-yard-old Charles could still rack up some yards and play a key role for a contender.
