Saints GM: Declining Mark Ingram's 5th-year option was strictly a 'financial decision'
New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said the decision to decline Mark Ingram's fifth-year option was not reflective of a lack of faith in the 24-year-old running back.
Under the option, Ingram would have earned a base salary of $5.2 million in 2015. He will instead be eligible for free agency at the end of the 2014 season.
"That's a financial decision. The amount of the tender versus what the market for running backs has been," Loomis said in a press conference on Wednesday, per the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "We like Mark, we told Mark before we made that decision that it wasn't reflective of what we thought about him, it was just a business decision. ...
"We have high expectations for him and I hope he has a great year."
Ingram, a former first-round draft pick, rushed for a career-low 386 yards and one touchdown last season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.