The New Orleans Saints this past regular season proved once again that they shouldn't be forgotten. Drew Brees has once again carried his team into the conference championship round of the playoffs. He could even carry them to a Super Bowl appearance or victory. The 40-year-old quarterback came into this season with something to prove

Through 15 regular-season games, Brees threw for over 3,992 yards with 32 touchdowns and five interceptions. His completion percentage was a league-leading 74.4 percent. His quarterback rating was 81.9, only trailing Patrick Mahomes by a single one-tenth. Brees has played like an MVP all season long, and his performance in the playoffs only cements it.

But, what isn't spoken about is the yin to Bree's yang. The Saints have had a solid running game all season long because of Mark Ingram. The eight-year NFL veteran has been a vital part of their running game. In 2016 and 2017, he eclipsed over 1,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns and averaged five yards per carry. He was also a capable receiver with 735 reception yards, four touchdowns, and 104 receptions. He was the perfect running back for Brees because he is both reliable in throwing and running situations.

Ingram missed the first four games of this past season for violating the NFL's PED policy. This didn't stop him from being effective, and through 12 games he had 815 yards from scrimmage with seven total touchdowns. He did split time with sophomore running back Alvin Kamara. He also had a breakout season, with 1592 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns. Both combined gave the Saints options on the ground, and they both proved themselves to be very effective.

Even though he becomes a free agent this offseason, Ingram has been clear that he wants to stay with the team.

Ingram told Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune:

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JC Latham (Alabama), Chris Braswell (Alabama not Jaguars), Cornelieus Johnson (Michigan) in action behind a New Orleans Saints logo with a 2024 NFL Draft background.

Dylan Bruton ·

“I was drafted here. I met my wife here. My children were born here. I’m not looking just to up and leave New Orleans. My squad, you know we got a good squad. I feel like we could do this type of thing for many more years. I’m not looking to just to bail out of New Orleans.”

Ingram is now 29 years old. He's getting to the age where running backs aren't promised more than a few more years in the league. He has the opportunity to stay home or go earn himself a long-term contract elsewhere.

Though Ingram would have to take a pay cut and share duties with Kamara, the Saints should do everything they can to keep him around. They'll have about 17 million in cap space, per Spotrac. It will be intriguing to see if the team makes the move to bring him back.