The NFL is a tough business.
After years of injury struggles and a failure to live up to the hype, 2011 first-round pick Mark Ingram finally broke out for the New Orleans Saints this season. Sure, he still missed three games, but he impressed when he was healthy. Ingram toted the rock a career high 226 times for 964 yards (4.3 average) and nine touchdowns. He also hauled in 29 receptions for 145 yards. Overall, his coming out party couldn't have been timed any better as he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
But despite mutual interest in hammering out a new deal, it's possible that Ingram has played his last snap in New Orleans. The Saints are projected to be around $25 million over the salary cap next season, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com. That means a hard decision - like Winter in "Game of Thrones" - is coming.
"I can understand making a case to bring back Mark Ingram, but the Saints can't afford to spend $4 million on a running back - if they could have afforded it they would have kept Darren Sproles," Fitzgerald wrote. "Ingram was a hard runner for the team last year, but they have always been able to find change runner and not miss a beat."
Losing Ingram to salary cap concerns would be unfortunate because both parties appear to want this professional relationship to continue.
"They said they want me back, for sure," Ingram told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I was their draft pick, so they said they definitely want me to come back.
"I want to be a Saint. I was drafted there. I'm always appreciative and grateful for that. It's a great organization, first class. We have a great foundation of young talent. I just feel like we've got to keep improving and getting better. I definitely want to stay with the Saints."
ESPN's Mike Triplett believes a team with more cap space and a greater emphasis on running the ball could swoop in and offer Ingram too rich a deal to turn down.
"The Saints have always valued him both on and off the field, even when he was underachieving and battling injuries during his first three NFL seasons," Triplett wrote. "So they'll likely make a run at keeping him despite their salary cap constraints. However, New Orleans is still a pass-first team and that has always split the workload among a variety of running backs (such as [Pierre] Thomas and [Khiry] Robinson, who remain under contract). So other teams who run the ball more often might value Ingram more, and Ingram himself might prefer a place where he can be more assured of regular touches."
NFL free agency will open in March.
