According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, The New Orleans Saints have locked up star running back Mark Ingram to a four-year extension worth $16 million.
Saints and RB Mark Ingram have reached agreement on a four-year deal, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2015
The 25-year-old Ingram was the Saints first round pick, 31st overall, in the 2011 NFL Draft, after winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the University of Alabama Crimson Tide to the SEC Title, and the BCS National Championship. He was the first running back taken in the draft.
Ingram struggled early in his NFL career but switched back to his old college number 22 before last year. It seemed to work as Ingram had his best season in 2014, rushing for 964 yards and 9 touchdowns on 224 carries in just 13 games. His 4.3 yards per carry was the best of his NFL career. He added 29 receptions for 145 yards and was named to the 2014 Pro Bowl.
The move comes just days after the Saints cut running back Pierre Thomas for salary cap reasons, and after Saints head coach Sean Ingram said that Ingram was “someone that we want to keep.”
The new deal for Mark Ingram takes another big-name runner off the market just three days ahead of Tuesday’s free-agency launch. The best running backs on the market appear to be DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and C.J. Spiller.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Sports for the latest in NFL Free Agency News and Analysis.
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