The New Orleans Saints recently had to say their goodbyes to long-time running back Mark Ingram as he chose to leave the team in favor of the Baltimore Ravens. Although head coach Sean Payton has nothing but nice things to say about Ingram, he was a bit frustrated with his departure.

“It happened pretty quickly,” Payton said on Tuesday during the NFC coaches breakfast at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting in Phoenix. “Look, I’m excited for Mark’s opportunity. He’s been a tremendous, tremendous player for us and leader for us. It was frustrating because I felt there was little dialogue. At least usually, I’m able to visit with the player, and I wasn’t able to, so the ends and outs specifically to how that unfolded still to me are a little bit cloudy. Tried texting him, tried calling him, direct message. He texted me back, and then the next day we weren’t able to speak.”

Ingram was in fact a huge contributor to the Saints success over the years, but New Orleans was likely not the place for him after former teammate Alvin Kamara has emerged as a star the past two seasons.

Ingram has a solid future with the Ravens as they are a team that absolutely loves to run the ball.

Ingram and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will undoubtedly run the show in Baltimore and the opportunity for a bigger role is likely what swayed Ingram to move on from New Orleans.

The Ravens could very well return to the top of the rushing ranks next season with Ingram as their workhorse rusher.