New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Ten top value contracts in the NFL

It took three seasons for New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram to live up to the potential everyone saw in him when the team drafted him in Round 1 of the 2011 Draft. But he finally put everything together in 2014, rushing 226 times for 964 yards and nine scores and catching 29 passes for 145 yards.

Though his rushing total in 2015 dipped to 769 yards and six scores, he was more involved in the Saints’ passing game, catching 50 passes for 405 yards. Now that Ingram has shown his versatility and has found a niche in the Saints’ offense, the four-year, $16 million extension he signed last March seems like a relative bargain.

Or at least it is a bargain for now. Ingram restructured his contract during the offseason to convert $2.235 million of his 2016 salary into a prorated bonus to clear cap room for the Saints. That gives him a cap hit of just $2.51 million for 2016, or around $50,000 less for the season than Steelers backup DeAngelo Williams is set to make.

This cap figure rises to a Jamaal Charles-like $5.245 million in 2017, though it does appear by the way Ingram’s contract is structured that another restructure will come and will extend his deal beyond its current 2019 expiration. Given that Ingram won’t hit 30 years old until 2020, this extend-and-restructure cycle isn’t a shortsighted move by the Saints. And as long as his production remains stable, spending $2.5 million a year on a back like that is not a bad way for the Saints to use their funds.

Ten top value contracts in the NFL