Saints Running Back Misses All-Pro and a Clause in His Contract

The New Orleans Saints Mark Ingram had arguably his best season as a professional this year that resulted in his second consecutive 1,000 yard rushing season and second Pro Bowl selection.

Ingram was teetering on the cusp of potentially being labeled a bust the year before his rookie contract expired. He was able to shed that label in a contract year and made his first Pro Bowl when he rushed for just under 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014.

That season earned him a four year contract worth $16 million with $7.6 million in guaranteed money. Ingram just completed his third year of that contract and there was a special clause built in. The built in incentive was that if he was selected as an All-Pro or had made two Pro Bowls between 2015-2017 the final year of the deal would be voided.

Unfortunately for Mark Ingram it didn't come to fruition as he finished behind Todd Gurley and Le'Veon Bell for the first and second team All-Pro selections. Why would this have been important for Ingram? It would have allowed him to receive a brand new contract, inevitably paying him much more money than is on his current deal.

At the end of next season when Ingram's contract is up, he'll be 29 years old and having just finished his 8th season. For a running back that is a good amount of tread on the tires and teams will certainly be leery of giving him a lengthy contract worth big bucks.

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