Chargers reward pass rusher Melvin Ingram with big contract extension
Pass rushers don’t come cheaply, and yet the Los Angeles Chargers managed to sign their franchise player without surpassing some of the mega-deals seen at the position the past few seasons.
It’s unclear if Melvin Ingram fits into the discussion of elite pass rushers around the NFL, but he now has a contract that puts him just behind some of the top names in the league.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news of Ingram signing a four-year deal worth $66 million total, with $42 million guaranteed. The Chargers later confirmed the news.
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The $42 million sounds like a lot, and it’s a shade more guaranteed money than the New York Giants gave Jason Pierre-Paul ($40 million guaranteed), but it’s a good bit less than the Arizona Cardinals gave Chandler Jones ($51 million), for instance. It’s right about on par with the deals being paid to Pierre-Paul and the Los Angeles Rams’ Robert Quinn, who will play a similar role to Ingram in Wade Phillips’ defense on the other side of town.
The Chargers placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Ingram in February, and they had until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. Getting this done now is good for both sides, even though the Chargers will be paying him more on a per-year average over the length of the deal than they would have had Ingram signed the one-year tender offer of about $14.55 million this season.
Ingram had been staying away from offseason workouts, and his teammates had expressed a desire for him to get paid, hoping he’d soon return to work. That’s guaranteed now with this monster contract extension.
The team believes Ingram — especially alongside Joey Bosa — could produce big numbers this season and beyond. Last season, Ingram had eight sacks, five passes defended and four forced fumbles and has started 39 consecutive games after earning a reputation of being injury-prone, overweight and inconsistent earlier in his career.
The Chargers’ defense has a chance to be very good this season, and Ingram could thrive in the “Leo” pass-rush role under new coordinator Gus Bradley. Some thought the Chargers might wait a bit to see how Ingram adapts to the new scheme before giving him a monster deal, but there’s a comfort level there now already.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
