Jamaal Charles - Bio, Net Worth, Wife, NFL, Chiefs, Stats, Contract, Texas, College, Draft, Special Olympics, Derrick Johnson, Tyreek Hill, Mahomes

From being diagnosed with a learning disability and facing ridicule as a child to becoming the all-time leader in career yards-per-carry among running backs in the National Football League, as of 2019, Jamaal Charles’ life story would surely make a decent bestselling book. Read on to find out more about the player.

What is Jamaal Charles known for?

• A former American retired professional football player.

Is Jamaal Charles headed to the Hall of Fame? Running back sounds optimistic about his chances

With Jamaal Charles now officially retired, we can finally start the debate about whether or not the former Chiefs running back belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

If there's one career number that says Charles should be in the Hall, it's his yards per carrying. During his 11 seasons in the NFL, Charles averaged an incredible 5.4 yards per carrying, which is the second most of any running back in NFL history and ranks fourth overall. Charles isn't sure if that ranking will be enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, but he does sound optimistic about his chances. 

Charles also topped the 1,000-yard mark a total of five times during a career where he rushed for a total of 7,563 yards, which currently ranks 56th all-time. Although that number puts him above multiple Hall of Famers on the NFL's all-time rushing list -- he has more than guys like Gale Sayers (4,956), Marion Motley (4,720) and Leroy Kelly (7,274) -- the number doesn't stack up so well against modern running backs, who Charles will be compared with during the Hall of Fame voting process. 

Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson, and LeSean McCoy are all ahead of him on the all-time rushing list. Not to mention, Marshawn Lynch is also ahead of him and there's a good chance that Beast Mode will become eligible for the Hall of Fame the same year that Charles becomes eligible.  

There's also the fact that Charles never led the NFL in rushing and never won a Super Bowl. If anything ends up hurting Charles' chances of getting enshrined, he thinks it's going to be his lack of success in the postseason. 

In his 11 years, Charles played in just two playoff games and never made it past the wild-card round. Of course, no matter what happens with Canton, Charles will always be a Hall of Famer in Kansas City. After signing a one-day contract to retire with the Chiefs this week, Charles took one more handoff before calling it quits for good. 

Where is the birthplace of Jamaal Charles?

Back to his early life, Jamaal Charles was born Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles in Port Arthur, Texas. He is American by nationality and belongs to the black ethnic group. His birth sign is Capricorn.

As a child, he was diagnosed with a learning disability that made it hard for him to read. This inadvertently hindered his involvement in activities with other kids his age as he was always teased and mocked.

Regarding his education, Charles attended Memorial High School of Port Arthur, Texas. After graduating from high school, Jamaal Charles enrolled at the University of Texas where as a true freshman, he helped his team win the national championship.

When did Jamaal Charles pursue his football career?

• Jamaal Charles began his football career since his school days and continues his college days as a true freshman.
• Prior, He went on to play for the school for three seasons, ranking fourth on the list of total rushing yards by a Texas player, before deciding to forgo his senior year and enter the 2008 NFL Draft where he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 73rd overall pick.
• Charles played for Kansas City for nine years, during which he was highly ranked by his colleagues in five different seasons (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016) as one of the NFL Top 100 Players. During this time, he also made the Pro Bowl on four occasions (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), had 2 first-team All-Pro selections (2010, 2013), and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2013 before he was released by the Chiefs in February 2017.
• Charles went on to play one season with the Denver Broncos before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in October 2018. His stay with the Jaguars turned out to be very brief as he was released a few weeks later, making him a free agent.
• On April 30, 2019, Charles announced he will sign a one-day ceremonial contract with Chiefs so he can retire as a Chief.

Who is the wife of Jamaal Charles?

Reflecting his personal life, Jamaal Charles is married to Whitney Golden Charles, whom he has known since they were in eighth grade. The couple got engaged on the 3rd of July, 2011 and got married a year later, on the 2nd of June, 2012. Together, they have two daughters named Makaila Jae and Makenzie.

Whitney is a full-time mother, however, she is also very much involved in her husband’s Youth Matters Family Foundation through which he holds free football camps for kids every year.

How much is Jamaal Charles net worth?

Jamaal Charles has a net worth estimated to be around $13 million. The four-time Derrick Thomas Award recipient was able to amass his wealth through his salaries over the years in the NFL as well as from endorsements.

Moves to his contracts, In 2008, when he was drafted by Kansas, Charles put pen to paper on a 3-year $1.75 million contract. In 2010, he extended his contract with the side for 5 years for $32.5 million. Four years later, Kansas again extended his stay for 2 more years by offering him an $18.1 million contract. In February 2017, Kansas released Charles and gave room for him to sign a 1-year, $2.5 million contracts with the Denver Broncos. It is not clear how much the Jacksonville Jaguars paid him for the few weeks he spent with the side.

How tall is Jamaal Charles?

Observing his body statistics, Jamaal Charles has a height of 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and weighs 200 pounds (91 kg). Similarly, his arm length of 32 1⁄8 inches (0.82 m) and a hand size of 8 3⁄4 inches (0.22 m). Further, He has a  black/brown hair color.