The Kansas City Chiefs have not gotten off to the start that the team or fans were hoping for in the 2025 season, sitting at 2-3 after five weeks and looking up at the rival Broncos and Chargers one game ahead of them in the early AFC West race. Yet, with Andy Reid at the helm at Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, there's still no reason to count the Chiefs out with a whole lotta ballgame left to be played, so to speak. And that's something legendary Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles would probably agree with.
Charles spent nine seasons with Kansas City in his 11-year career and put forth some of the most dominant rushing seasons in Chiefs history. He was a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler over that span, but also never got to experience the heights that the franchise has now reached in this current dynastic era. Yet, he did spend four years playing under Reid, and knows well why the head coach is the reason that fans and the team should still have confidence that things will end up going well.
This week, the Texas Longhorns alum, Charles, sat down with Sterling Holmes for Arrowhead Addict and FanSided courtesy of Bush's Beans and the new Bush's Hot Honey Grillin' Beans (not to mention a slick new pair of flaming, Bush's BeanBQ Boots equipped with a can opener) as he'll be at the Texas State Fair for the Texas-Oklahoma Red River Rivalry game, and talked about all things Longhorns, Chiefs, and specifically about Reid and what the head coach has to turn the season around in Kansas City.
Jamaal Charles makes it clear why Andy Reid won't let the Chiefs fall off
Charles, with his experience of nearly a half-decade playing under Reid in Kansas City, was asked about Reid as coach and what he brings to the table that makes people believe that the Chiefs can turn it around. The longtime running back made it clear that Reid is simply built to get the best out of his team and his players.
"Oh man, he's a coach that knows how to win games. You know, [Coach Reid] talks to his players, puts his players in the best situation to make plays, to put them in the best place to help the team win. I mean, he's an amazing coach on and off the field. He's got a great personality that makes you drawn to him, makes him liked even more and makes them go hard for him. He's basically like a father figure to a lot of kids, a lot of grown men in the locker room. So I think that's what makes Coach Andy Reid 'Coach Andy Reid', that people would love to play for him. He just — we might not find nobody like Coach Reid ever again, just because how good his personality is toward players. He's coachable; he knows how to calm players down. He knows how to put players in the best situation to win games, for the team."
While Charles was representing Bush's Beans for the interview, the conversation was also brought up that Reid, with his well-documented affinity for burgers, needs to work with Charles and get a Bush's Bean burger in his diet sometime soon as well. I think we can all agree that we need to see that as well.
You can watch the full interview with Charles on Arrowhead Addict below or on the YouTube channel.
Andy Reid's adaptability and relation to players will keep the Chiefs rolling
When you look at Charles' assessment of Reid and relate it to this current iteration of the Chiefs, you start to see how the pieces could come together. That's especially true when it comes to getting the most out of players and players being ultimately put in positions to succeed.
With Rashee Rice still serving his suspension — and with Xavier Worthy injured early in the year — it very much appeared to be that Reid was trying to find the right mix and roles for the likes of Hollywood Brown, Tyquan Thornton and so on. Now that Worthy is back and with Rice returning in just a couple of weeks, those roles will change, but this time will also be valuable. If those players like Thornton, particularly, are needed, they'll be more prepared late in the season in more meaningful games than they otherwise would've been.
Furthermore, the Chiefs run game has also been a bit lackluster early in the season with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. But rookie Brashard Smith is starting to see a bit more time on the field, which only furthers the point of tweaking things for Kansas City to have the best chance to win.
On the point of the run game, though, Charles was also asked about if he thinks about playing with Mahomes and what that would've looked like. While that's not a reality for the 38-year-old, most Chiefs fans have to agree that seeing the dynamic runner in this offense would help a lot of issues — and Charles also would've loved it as well.
"Oh man, it would've been awesome if that opportunity would have presented itself," Charles said. "We just played in two different eras. Like, I wish I would have played in the era right now where they're making all this money. I would have been good. But yeah, it would have been lovely to play with [Patrick Mahomes], just to see his abilities and my abilities. Me breaking a 60-yard touchdown, 70-yard touchdown, and Pat throwing 80-yard, 90-yard touchdowns, even catching a screen pass from something like that just to make plays."
He went on to say that the Chiefs "would have been definitely a dynasty".
Charles isn't coming to save the Chiefs running game in 2025, of course. But the former player under Reid knows why the head coach in Kansas City isn't going to allow this team to roll over after their years of success with Mahomes. And frankly, at this point, the evidence to believe Charles far outweighs any evidence to the contrary.
Former Texas Longhorn and NFL running back Jamaal Charles is partnering with Bush’s Beans this football season to help heat up tailgates and game day spreads with Bush’s Hot Honey Grillin’ Beans. Jamaal will be at the Texas State Fair on Saturday ahead of the Red River Rivalry, hanging out at Bush’s tailgate activation, showing off his BeanBQ Boots and meeting fans.