Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com is reporting that the Chargers have officially franchised OLB Melvin Ingram Monday evening.
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier that the Chargers were expected to use their tag on Ingram before Wednesday’s deadline to tag free agents.
The franchise tag will run the Chargers $15.701 million fully guaranteed for the 2017 season, but won’t prevent them from negotiating a long-term contract before the July deadline to discuss long-term deals with franchise players.
Ingram plays a premium position and would be one of the most sought after players in this year’s market, so it really makes a lot of sense for the Chargers to tag him and continue working on a long-term extension in the coming months.
Ingram, 27, was taken No. 18 overall during the 2012 NFL draft. He played out his four-year, $8.39 million rookie contract that included 7.61 million guaranteed before the Chargers picked up his fifth-year option that paid him $7,751,000 for the 2017 season.
In 2016, Ingram appeared in all 16 games for the Chargers and recorded 60 tackles, eight sacks, five forced fumbles and five pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 6 edge rusher out of 109 qualifying players.
We had him featured in our Top 100 – 2017 Free Agents list.
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