Kansas City Chiefs Should Do Right By Jamaal Charles

Since going on Injured Reserve this year, there has been a lot of talk about the future of Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles. I believe the Chiefs should do right by him.

There is no denying that Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is likely within a couple of years of the end of his NFL career. After finishing yet another season on Injured Reserve, his future is in question. To make matters worse, Charles has hit the dreaded “30 years old” mark that many will tell you is the end of running back’s career.

That leaves the Chiefs in a very difficult spot as Jamaal Charles comes into the final year of his current contract. Charles is slated to make $7 million in 2017 if he is on the roster. However, that money is not guaranteed at all. That means KC could let the star running back go and save all $7 million from their salary cap.

The Chiefs could certainly use that money. As it sits, General Manager John Dorsey will not have much cap room to work with. However, Dorsey has two very important contracts to negotiate in safety Eric Berry and defensive tackle Dontari Poe. There are also the much smaller contracts of Daniel Sorensen, Albert Wilson, Cairo Santos, and James Winchester to consider.

Plain and simple, the Chiefs cannot afford to pay Jamaal Charles the full $7 million of his 2017 contract. They have to find a way to lower his cap hit. Of course, there are no shortage of ideas on how that can be done. Most of them involve giving Charles an ultimatum of playing for a very cheap, one-year contract, or moving on from him. I disagree with that approach wholeheartedly.