He played college football for the LSU Tigers and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

[8] Edwards-Helaire was named LSU's starting running back and on the watchlists for the Maxwell and Paul Hornung Awards going into his junior season.

[11][12] 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.

[20] Edwards-Helaire made his debut for the Chiefs in Week 1 as the starting running back after Damien Williams opted out of the 2020 season.

[25] On Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, Edwards-Helaire suffered a hip and ankle injury, making him unavailable for the remainder of the 2020 NFL regular season.

[35] A lack of consistent production and injuries resulted in Edwards-Helaire losing his starting job to rookie seventh round pick Isiah Pacheco.

[46] He was elevated for the team's Week 17 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, recording five carries and two receptions for 30 total yards.

[49][50] As a result of the shooting, Edwards-Helaire suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has been open about his struggles and how it has occasionally caused him to miss practice or other things in his life.

[51] 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.

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.

[54] Edwards-Helaire's sister Madee has a form of Muscular dystrophy, and appeared on the MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon.