The career of Kansas City Chiefs rusher Jamaal Charles remains one of the underrated resumes put together in recent franchise history. What's important to note is that it isn't KC fans that underrate Charles, understanding what the back meant to the franchise, but league pundits and mass media who aren't as well versed on what exactly Charles brought to the table during his seasons with the in red and gold.
Charles, before his final two years in Denver and Jacksonville, finished his Chiefs career with 7,260 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns in just 103 total games played. He also managed to average 5.5 yards per attempt and, at his peak, nearly seven yards per rush. What makes these numbers so elite is understanding the 11 starting quarterbacks that Charles was paired with, which created a clear uphill battle to create the production that the back offered.
This leads us to consider what might have been if Patrick Mahomes and Charles had a chance to play together. Charles left the team ahead of the 2017 season after bouts of injuries ended his prime. Mahomes was selected in that same year's draft in the first round and solidified the starting role a year later, quickly becoming the league's best signal-callers.
Timing isn't often fair, but if it were, there is zero question that Charles and Mahomes were deserving of the support that each would have provided the other. Having such a presence at quarterback would've easily pushed Charles into otherworldly numbers that handed the rusher an inarguable Hall of Fame case and put the respected veteran into an elite conversation.
Jamaal Charles clearly deserved a chance to play alongside Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes has had close to capable run games earlier in his career, but none that offered the talent and clear upside of Charles. It's interesting to consider the statistical heights Mahomes might have reached with a back as dominating as Charles was, considering 2018 was the year he had his best running back in Kareem Hunt, when the first-year QB put up 5,000 passing yards and 50 TDs.
Kansas City fans understand how much bigger than the numbers Charles was, often being given an uphill battle to create positive plays. Kansas City's starting quarterbacks weren't scaring anyone, forcing extra attention on Charles and making it that much more difficult to put together what was undeniably an incredible career.
The best season of the back's career can be argued as Charles had three separate seasons where he reached just under 2,000 total scrimmage yards, five 1,000-plus rushing seasons, and a 2013 campaign where he accounted for not only an incredible yards barrier, but also provided 70 catches and 19 total scores.
Despite playing on porous Chiefs offenses, Charles established himself as one of the best backs in league history, constantly fighting through serious injuries to put up elite numbers. Jamaal Charles is not only a Chiefs legend but an important part of his era's football greatness. He deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, and one can only dream of what Charles and Mahomes would have created on the same field.
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