Jerick McKinnon Signs Contract With Kansas City Chiefs

Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs, Agree to Contract

After years of injury and backup work, Jerick McKinnon has something of a career renaissance in 2022. Appearing in all 17 games, the running back carved out a role as Kansas City’s primary receiving back. During the regular season, McKinnon caught 56 passes for 512 yards and nine touchdowns on 71 targets while adding an additional 291 rushing yards and a touchdown on 72 carries.

McKinnon originally entered the NFL as a third-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Selected by the Minnesota Vikings, the Georgia Southern product made an immediate impact as a rotational part of the backfield. Appearing in 11 games while making six starts, the rookie finished his inaugural season with 538 rushing yards on 113 carries to go along with 27 receptions for 135 yards on 41 targets.

McKinnon played in all 16 games in 2015, but spent the entire season as a backup. In limited work, the running back recorded 271 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries to go along with 21 receptions for 173 yards and one touchdown on 29 targets.

Thanks to the presence of Adrian Peterson and then Dalvin Cook, McKinnon never had the chance to shine in a starting role for Minnesota. In total, he spent four seasons with the Vikings and recorded 1,918 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 474 carries to go along with 142 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns on 191 targets.

Jerick McKinnon finally got his chance to shine when he signed a massive contract with the San Francisco 49ers – or so it seemed. Signed to be the lead running back, McKinnon tore his ACL just before the regular season opener, sidelining him for the entire campaign. Sadly, this injury lingered into 2019, as a setback landed him on the injured reserve for the second consecutive year.