The official start of the 2019 NFL free agency signing period begins on March 13, but teams can start negotiating with agents on contract terms on March 11, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Chicago Bears may have Saints running back Mark Ingram in their crosshairs.
Rapoport appeared on NFL Total Access Sunday and said the Bears and Packers are among the teams interested in Ingram’s services.
Ingram has been one of the more underrated running backs in the NFL the last few years, averaging no less than 4.6 yards per carry since 2015. His best season came in 2017 when he ran for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns and added 58 catches as a receiver out of the backfield.
Chicago’s interest in Ingram is a bit odd, however, considering he’s 29 years old and doesn’t project as a long-term starter beyond, say, 2020. That said, he has a much more dynamic skill set than incumbent starter Jordan Howard and if the Bears feel like they’re poised to make a legitimate Super Bowl run in 2019, Ingram is the kind of offensive piece who can put them over the top.
Ingram’s last contract paid him $4 million per season and he’s going to look for a big bump in pay in his next deal. While he’s unlikely to get a four-year deal again, he should command more than $7 million per season.
The Bears have to decide if it’s worth making that kind of investment in Ingram or if they’d be better off keeping Howard for another season and targeting a young prospect in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.
