Mark Ingram is not ready to ride off into the sunset yet.
On The Paul Finebaum Show, the 33-year-old running back said he still has “more juice in the tank” and believes he can keep going in the NFL due to him assuming a small role for most of his 12-season career.
“Splitting time, splitting backfields has been a blessing,” Ingram told Finebaum according to AL.com. “But it’s also been frustrating at times because I felt like on several occasions or had I had the opportunity to be a feature guy, a bell cow, knowing I wake up Sunday knowing I’m going to get 20 touches, I think that’s a little different. But I don’t have any regrets. Every time, I just try to take advantage of my opportunities, try to take advantage of my role within the offense, and maximize my touches any time I had the opportunity to touch the ball.
“I think sharing backfields, I think not getting overloaded with 300 carries a season for like five or six seasons in a row, I think that has helped me make it to Year 13 and still have a good body where I feel strong, I feel explosive, I feel like I can contribute and produce at a high level. But also just mentally as well — physical, emotionally, all that. That’s why I think I still have that drive and that hunger and desire and I think that has something to do with me sharing the ball, splitting time, even in college.”
Last year, Ingram had a career-low 62 carries for 233 yards and a touchdown with the New Orleans Saints. His numbers could’ve been better but he missed seven of the final nine games due to a knee injury.
Back in 2019, he scored 15 touchdowns during his third Pro Bowl season, but Ingram II has run for 1,086 yards and five touchdowns on 294 carries while catching 49 passes for 280 yards and no touchdowns in 35 games in the last three seasons.
During his NFL career, Ingram has run for 8,111 yards and 65 touchdowns on 1,817 carries. He’s caught 303 passes for 2,125 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 33-year-old veteran remains on the free-agent market, and it remains to be seen if any team will pick him up before the 2023 season.
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Since he remains a free agent, Ingram might have to wait until after the 2023 NFL Draft to find his new team. Because of his age, teams may not reach out unless an injury occurs in camp.
Either way, teams should be happy with a guy who would come and immediately know his role.
