Jamaal Charles, running back, Kansas City Chiefs
Publicly, the Chiefs are staying positive about Charles, who missed most of the 2016 season due to complications regarding knee surgery he had in 2015 to repair his ACL. He ended up needing another knee surgery during the season.
General manager John Dorsey recently said, “He’s working like the dickens to get himself ready for ’17. We’ll see what happens in March. But right now I see him as a Chief.”
The key phrase there is, “We’ll see what happens in March.”
No doubt, Kansas City would love to have Charles return to action healthy and back to his explosive self. After all, he was one of the NFL’s premier running backs from 2009-14. And he did manage to bounce back nicely from a 2011 ACL injury that cost him 14 games.
But now at the age of 30, Charles has likely seen his best years come and go. The recurring issues with his knee last year were very troubling, and he’s due make over $6 million this upcoming season. Making matters worse for him, Spencer Ware did quite well in his stead last season and is locked up for a fraction of the price.
If the Chiefs release him, they’ll save that much in cap space, as none of it is guaranteed. Kansas City, unlike many teams around the league, has one of the tightest cap situations in the NFL. This all equates to Charles likely being shown the door.