New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram posted career-highs across the board in rushing yards (1,124), rushing touchdowns (12) and receiving yards (416) in 2017. Yet, it was not enough to earn Ingram All-Pro honors.
Ingram’s All-Pro snub leaves him tied to his current contract instead of forcing a void which would make him a free agent, per ESPN.
Now Ingram will continue to play with Saints under his current four-year, $16 million contract that takes him through 2018. Coming off of a spectacular career year, if Ingram had become a free agent, he could have negotiated for higher pay this upcoming season.
Though as it stands, Ingram took a backseat to newly named All-Pro running backs Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell and fellow teammate, rookie Alvin Kamara. Clearly, Ingram was faced with some stiff competition.
Now, it’s always possible the Saints could extend Ingram before his current deal runs out. However, being that he’s a running back and has a young gun pushing him, it’s not likely. For his best chances at negotiating for a heftier contract in 2019, Ingram will need to continue to performing at a high level in 2018.