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Updates from Thursday, July 24

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provides an update on Jamaal Charles:

Omitted from the news regarding the new contract obtained by running back Jamaal Charles from the Chiefs was the amount of the four-year, $28 million contract that is guaranteed. It was possibly omitted because it wasn’t an eye-popping number. Per a league source, only the first year of the deal is guaranteed, which it would have been as of Week One of the regular season anyway. The total amount is $8.3 million, a dramatic increase in the $3.9 million Charles was due to earn in 2014.

Updates from Wednesday, July 23

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on negotiations between Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs:

Adam Schefter of ESPN passed along terms of the agreement:

Original Text

The Kansas City Chiefs may soon have a mess on their hands, with Jamaal Charles reportedly holding out for a bigger contract.

DeAnn Smith and Brad Fanning of KCTV5 in Kansas City reported Tuesday that Charles will not be at training camp starting Thursday:

Chiefs star running back Jamaal Charles won't be showing up Thursday for training camp in St. Joseph until Kansas City ponies up more money, KCTV5 has learned exclusively. He wants more money and is prepared to hold out as long as it takes, a source tells KCTV5. Charles is nearing the end of a six-year, nearly $28 million contract. He makes about $9 million per season less than Minnesota's Adrian Peterson who has a seven-year, $96 million deal. Detroit's Reggie Bush and Baltimore's Ray Rice also make more than Charles.

According to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star, the Chiefs believe that Charles will be reporting to training camp regardless of whether he gets a new contract. His representatives and Kansas City are also working toward a resolution:

In terms of base pay in 2014 ($2,650,000), Charles will be the 11th-highest-paid running back in the league, per Spotrac. ESPN.com's Adam Teicher pointed out that he also has a $1 million roster bonus. That's a reasonable amount to pay for a player who has rushed for at least 1,100 yards in four of the last five seasons and whose 12 rushing touchdowns were first in the league in 2013.

Last year, Shutdown Corner's Brian McIntyre called the 27-year-old running back the "best bargain" on Kansas City's roster.

His combined 1,980 yards amounted to 35 percent of the Chiefs' total yardage from scrimmage, according to Teicher, which was the highest percentage of any player in the league.

Football players—running backs in particular—have a short shelf life, so you can understand why Charles would want to cash in while he still can. When his current contract expires, he could be viewed as past his prime, thus hurting his earning power.

Getting Charles back to the team will be a top priority for the Chiefs. The drop-off between him and backup running back Knile Davis is pretty significant.

If Kansas City wants to advance to the postseason out of what will be a competitive AFC West, then it will need the three-time Pro Bowler before the season begins.