Clyde Edwards-Helaire ( ; born April 11, 1999) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers (also known as the Fighting Tigers) are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiat ...

and was selected by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

in the first round of the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

. He is a two-time

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champion.

Early life

Edwards-Helaire was born and raised in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. He attended

Catholic High School Catholic schools are parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school system. In 201 ...

and became the first freshman in then head coach Dale Weiner's 29 year tenure to play on the varsity football team as a freshman. In addition to football, Edwards-Helaire also competed in

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

. As a senior, Edwards-Helaire rushed 58 times for 496 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named the MVP of the 5A State Championship Game after catching eight passes for 161 yards and rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Bears 31–28 victory over

Archbishop Rummel High School Archbishop Rummel High School is a Catholic secondary school for boys located in Metairie, a community in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The school is named after Archbishop Joseph Rummel, a former Archbishop in the Archdiocese of ...

. Rated a four-star recruit, Edwards-Helaire committed to play

for the

College career

As a true freshman, Edwards-Helaire played in all 13 of the Tigers' games, playing mostly on special teams and rushing nine times for 31 yards. As a sophomore, Edwards-Helaire finished second on the team with 658 rushing yards and seven touchdowns with 11 receptions for 96 yards and also returned 17 kicks for 416 yards. He recorded his first 100-yard game in a 38–21 win over

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – Hig ...

, gaining 136 yards with two touchdowns on 20 carries. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 145 yards in LSU's 36–16 victory over second-ranked

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Edwards-Helaire was named LSU's starting running back and on the watchlists for the

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

and

Paul Hornung Award The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission in Louisville, Kentucky, with the support of Paul Hornung, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football ...

s going into his junior season. He played a major role in LSU's win over third-ranked

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, rushing for 103 yards and three touchdowns and catching nine passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in the 46–41 victory and was named the SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week along with LSU quarterback

Joe Burrow Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, O ...

. Edwards-Helaire finished the regular season with 1,414 rushing yards, which ranked third-most in a single season in school history, and 16 touchdowns on 215 carries, 453 receiving yards and a touchdown on 55 receptions and returned 16 kicks for 214 yards and was a consensus first-team All-SEC selection at running back and was named second-team by the league's coaches as an all-purpose performer and was also the only SEC running back to be named a semifinalist for the

Doak Walker Award The Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. Established in 1990, it is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Foot ...

. After playing sparingly against Oklahoma in the

2019 Peach Bowl The 2019 Peach Bowl (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2019 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl) was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. It was the 52nd ...

due to a hamstring injury, Edwards-Helaire rushed 16 times for 110 yards and caught five passes for 54 yards in LSU's 42–25 win over third-ranked Clemson in the 2020 National Championship Game. Following the end of the season, Edwards-Helaire announced that he would forgo his senior season to enter the

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

2020 season

Edwards-Helaire was selected by the

, in the first round with the 32nd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. Edwards-Helaire made his debut for the Chiefs in Week 1 as the starting running back after

Damien Williams Damien Williams (born April 3, 1992) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also played for the Kans ...

opted out of the 2020 season. In his first career start, he rushed 25 times for 138 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in the 34–20 victory over the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. At 21 years of age, he became the youngest player in NFL history to rush for at least 130 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. In Week 6, against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, he rushed 26 times for 161 rushing yards in the 26–17 victory. In Week 11 against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, Edwards-Helaire rushed for two touchdowns during the 35–31 win. On Week 15 against the

, Edwards-Helaire suffered a hip and ankle injury, making him unavailable for the remainder of the 2020 NFL regular season. Overall, he finished his rookie season with 181 carries for 803 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 36 receptions for 297 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. In the

AFC Championship The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the wo ...

against the

, Edwards-Helaire rushed six times for seven yards and a touchdown during the 38–24 win. In

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, Edwards-Helaire rushed nine times for 64 yards and recorded two catches for 23 yards during the 9–31 loss.

2021 season

In Weeks 3–4, Edwards-Helaire recorded consecutive 100-yard rushing games. After injuring his knee in the Chiefs' Week 5 game against the Bills, Edwards-Helaire was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2021. He was activated on November 20, 2021. Overall, he finished the 2021 season with 119 carries for 517 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 19 receptions for 129 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in ten games.

2022 season

A lack of consistent production and injuries resulted in Edwards-Helaire losing his starting job to rookie seventh round pick

Isiah Pacheco Isiah Pacheco (born March 2, 1999), is nicknamed "Pop", and is an American professional football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Pacheco ...

. On November 23, 2022, Edwards-Helaire was placed on injured reserve. He was activated from injured reserve on February 6, 2023, but was inactive for

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Confere ...

. Without Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

2023 season

The Chiefs declined their 2024 fifth-year option for Edwards-Helaire on May 2, 2023. Edwards-Helaire finished the season with 223 rushing yards on 70 carries. The Chiefs won

Super Bowl LVIII Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. A rematch of Super Bowl LIV four years prior, the American Football Conference (AFC) 20 ...

against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

25–22 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl championship.

2024 season

Edwards-Helaire re-signed with the Chiefs on April 8, 2024. He was placed on the NFL's Reserve/Non-football illness (NFI) list prior to Week 1. He was activated on October 15, but was released from the team on December 16. The

signed him to their practice squad on December 18.

New Orleans Saints

On December 18, 2024, Edwards-Helaire signed with the

practice squad. He was elevated for the team's Week 17 matchup against the

, recording five carries and two receptions for 30 total yards. On February 13, 2025, Edwards-Helaire re-signed with the Saints on a one-year contract.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

In December 2018, Edwards-Helaire was involved in a fatal self-defense shooting in

Scotlandville, Louisiana Scotlandville is a community located in north Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. It was originally a small, independent rural community that developed along the Mississippi River in northern East Baton Rouge Parish. In 1914, Southern Univers ...

. Edwards-Helaire and teammate Jared Small met 18-year old Kobe Johnson in an arranged electronics sale. When the meeting took place, Johnson pulled a gun and tried to rob them, at which point one of the players pulled their own gun and fatally shot him. Authorities did not reveal which player fired the fatal shots. As a result of the shooting, Edwards-Helaire suffers from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

and has been open about his struggles and how it has occasionally caused him to miss practice or other things in his life. He received a heroism award from the Uvalde Foundation for Kids after shielding a teenager from gunfire during a shooting at the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVIII parade. His surname is taken from his biological father (Edwards) and his stepfather (Helaire). He legally had it changed after meeting with an attorney at fourteen years old, keeping his biological father's last name out of respect while honoring his stepfather for his presence during his upbringing. Edwards-Helaire's sister Madee has a form of

Muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

, and appeared on the MDA

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...

Kids Telethon.

References

External links

*
New Orleans Saints bioLSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards-Helaire, Clyde 1999 births Living people Players of American football from Baton Rouge, Louisiana American football running backs Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) alumni LSU Tigers football players Kansas City Chiefs players New Orleans Saints players 21st-century African-American sportsmen People with post-traumatic stress disorder