The New Orleans Saints reached an agreement with Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray on a four-year contract, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter reports that the contract runs four years, with a total value of $14.4 million. That shakes to about $3.6 million per year, less than the $4 million per year Mark Ingram received in his last contract extension with the Saints.
This likely shut the door on a potential re-signing with Ingram, who finished the 2018 season trailing the great Deuce McAllister for the Saints’ all-time rushing yards mark by 89 yards. It also signals that Alvin Kamara will take on a larger share of touches out of the backfield moving forward.
Murray is a bigger running back than the Saints are accustomed to, listed at 6-foot-3, 230-pounds. He’s run well behind a destitute Vikings offensive line the last two years, averaging 4.0 yards per carry and scoring 14 touchdown runs. More importantly, Murray is an accomplished receiving threat — he has a career catch rate of 79-percent on 162 targets, racking up 883 yards but curiously never catching a touchdown pass. Expect that to change quickly in pass-happy New Orleans.
