FanPost

Why extending Jamaal isn't a bad idea...

So Jamaal is asking for more money. Can anyone blame him? We all knew this day was coming and sooner rather than later. And who knows, this post could be irrelevant by the end of the day (here's hoping). But the bottom line is extending Jamaal Charles is a good idea for a few different reasons.

The first is that he has not had that many carries in his career. Now I am talking about rushing attempts not touches. No on ever says "Andre Johnson has had so many catches in his life, he has gotta fall off soon". So the only thing I am looking at is his carries. In his 6 years in the NFL he has had 1,043 carries. Never has he had more than 300 in a season. Some of that is due to Mr. Larry Johnson, some of that is due to his ACL. Either way, he has younger legs than most RB's his age. In comparison Adrian Peterson, in one more NFL season, has 2,033 carries. This is also a player who has had a knee injury and someone who Jamaal is getting put up against as the best RB in the league. While I have heard of Peterson falling off, I do not think people in Minnesota are upset that he is on their team. And while he makes $14 million a year (something Jamaal can't get) he is still worth it.

Something else to look at is the career of Marcus Allen (who I see a lot of Jamaal in), another former Chief. Through the first 6 years of his career, he had a similar carry total, with the outlying season of 1985 when he had 380 carries. His totals stuck around the low to mid 200's. Then Al Davis was Al Davis and sat the guy. He came to the Chiefs and did extremely well. He still had a lot in his legs and also understood how to run smart because of his time playing the game. He was not the dominate rusher people knew him as, but the guy was productive. Which brings me to my final point.

There is no reason Jamaal Charles cannot age gracefully. He is not a bruising back, taking big hit after big hit. He is also a guy Andy Reid is trying more and more to get into space (see 2013 Raiders game). His style of smooth running and making guys miss doesn't take as big a toll on your body as Peterson's style. Why can't he move to more of a receiving role as he gets older? Looking at last year, he is pretty dang good at catching the ball. Along with the emergence of Knile Davis, who will help carry the load as long as he doesn't fumble, Jamaal can run into the sunset till the ripe old age of 35. At that point, we won't rely on him being the dominate force he is now, just a guy that can get the job done.

To sum it all up, pay the man, and then help him age with grace and dignity. I want Jamaal to be a Chief for life.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.