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Mark Ingram’s time with the Ravens is practically over.
Yes, he’s still in the team. Yes, he will possibly play again this year should a result of injuries force him into the series.
But if there is any doubt about his future, there should be none now. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Ingram will be a healthy crab for tonight’s playoff game against the Bills.
“Ingram is completely healthy and is said to understand that this is a business decision for Baltimore due to salary constraints,” Schefter said.
The business decision is as follows: Ingram has a base salary of $ 5 million in 2021. He will surely cut back before it hits the hood on March 17.
According to the 2020 CBA, if Ingram suffered a serious injury that prevented him from playing for the Ravens or anyone else in 2021, he would be entitled to $ 2 million. Also under the CBA, the first $ 1.2 million of the payment will count towards the salary limit. (The other $ 800,000 is considered player benefit costs.)
The Ravens are therefore trying to avoid $ 1.2 million in unnecessary capital costs in 2021 by putting Ingram back on the field. Since JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards manage it in the back position, it is in any case not important for a team that is ready to part ways with Ingram.
Then it’s just $ 1.2 million dollars. If the Ravens see real value in playing Ingram when they follow a championship, they would. Clearly, they do not.
In 2020, Ingram had a career-low 72 cars and a career-low 299 running yards. With 7,324 running yards since joining the league in 2011, Ingram ranks 60th on the all-time list, with more yards than Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly, DeMarco Murray, Curt Warner, Robert Smith, Hall of Famer John Henry Johnson and Arian Foster.