Mark Ingram's second-stint with the Saints didn't go according to plan
It's a shame that the final play of Mark Ingram's career with the New Orleans Saints (and maybe the end of his entire career) involved him running out of bounds one yard shy of the first down in a game the team imploded in because his legacy should be about so much more than that.
Unfortunately, Ingram tore his MCL in the loss to the Buccaneers and is out for the season. With him set to hit free agency this March, it's doubtful that he dons a Saints uniform again and honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if he never played another snap in the NFL.
Ingram leads the Saints organization in rushing yards with 6,500 yards on the ground and it came during two different stints in the Big Easy. After the team spent a first-round pick on Ingram in 2011, it took him a bit to get going but he was dominant in 2016 and 2017.
#Saints RB Mark Ingram suffered a slight tear of his MCL in the loss to the #Bucs, sources say, knocking him out indefinitely and likely ending his season. He’s out 4-6 weeks, but no surgery. With the regular season only being five more weeks, Ingram is almost certainly done.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2022
After a brief pitstop in Baltimore and later Houston, Ingram returned to New Orleans in the 2021 season to backup Alvin Kamara. Unfortunately, it hasn't gone according to plan, as Ingram hasn't looked like the guy Saints fans loved for so long.
Mark Ingram had a decorative career with the Saints
While this second stint resulted in 493 yards and two touchdowns through over a year's worth of games, fans should still be grateful for Ingram and what he provided the team with during his best seasons.
*I* choose to look at Mark Ingram's last possible play as a Saint under the lens of "Wow! He ran 7 yards on a torn MCL" rather than "Wow! He went out of bounds before picking up the 1st". His helluva career deserves that!
— Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) December 7, 2022
No, re-adding him to the roster didn't spark the offense the way we all hoped but it helped get Ingram to the mark of all-time leader in Saints rushing yards, which is something he wouldn't have been able to do if he hadn't re-joined the team.
Next. All-Time Leaders in Rushing Yards. dark
As I mentioned before, it's a shame that Ingram's final play was one that led to a major collapse by the Saints but hopefully fans can remember him for all the good he did in the black and gold.