Saints all-time rushing leader retires, and now a college football analyst

A former New Orleans Saints running back, and former Saints first-round pick, appears to be done playing football, but not done being associated with it on TV.

When the New Orleans Saints drafted Mark Ingram with the 28th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, it was easy to see why. He won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama, the offense of the Saints was already loaded (and would go on to have a historical season in 2011), and the cherry on top was that Ingram's father, Mark Ingram Sr., was also drafted 28th overall, when he was drafted by the then-defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants in 1987.

Ingram would have two stints in the Big Easy, most notably from 2011-2018, and again to end his career from 2021-2022. Yes, the football career of Ingram is now over, as he has announced his retirement, and that he will be joining Fox Sports' Big Noon Kickoff Show, as an analyst for college football.

It makes sense given that he his a former Hesiman running back from the Crimson Tide, and it marks the end of a great career. Ingram rushed for 8,111 yards and 65 touchdowns during his twelve year career, which is basically an eternity for a running back in today's NFL.

6,500 of those yards on the dot and 52 of those touchdowns came when Ingram was wearing a Saints uniform, which makes him the all-time leading rusher in the history of the franchise. He's also the last Saints player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, when he did so in 2017, rushing for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns.

No doubt given his status that this is a time for celebration of a career well spent, especially since the majority of it was as a member of the New Orleans Saints. While we're sad to see him go, we're just as glad to watch him stay as a fixture on our television sets every weekend in the fall and winter.