A four-star recruit whose college career detoured through a dismissal from Penn State and a graduate season at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Irv Charles has carved out an NFL role as a special teams gunner.
Irv Charles has never been a high-volume receiver in the NFL, but his special teams tackling earned him steady roster spots with the Jets before a trade brought him to Seattle. He is working back from a torn ACL that cost him the 2025 season.
Path to the league
Charles grew up in Sicklerville, New Jersey and arrived at Penn State as a four-star recruit, but he saw limited offensive action and was dismissed from the team before the 2017 Fiesta Bowl for a violation of team rules. After finishing his degree, he transferred to Indiana University of Pennsylvania as a graduate student and caught 39 passes for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021. The New York Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Career highlights
Charles spent three seasons with the Jets, primarily as a special teams gunner. In 2023 he played in 12 games and recorded seven special teams tackles, building a reputation as a core coverage-unit contributor even though he rarely saw offensive targets.
2025 season recap
Charles suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 14 of the 2024 season against Miami and did not play in 2025 while he recovered. In May 2026 he was traded from the Jets to Seattle for a conditional seventh-round pick, giving him a fresh opportunity once healthy.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Irvin Charles
- ESPN: Irv Charles
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Receiving · career
| Year | Team | GP | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | jets | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | jets | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- IU Pennsylvania
- Hometown
- Sicklerville, NJ, USA
- Age
- 29
- Status
- active
