Mark Ingram says he would 'absolutely' hold out if he was a running back on the franchise tag

Former NFL running back Mark Ingram has been watching the current running back market in the league and is concerned about it. He explained that he would absolutely hold out if he was placed on the franchise tag as a running back.

This comes shortly after Saquon Barkley signed a franchise-friendly deal in July. Meanwhile, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts are in contract disputes.

“I definitely would,” Mark Ingram said. “I would tell them to hold out, man, because if they’re not giving you something you’re comfortable playing on, now if you’re comfortable playing on it then go ahead and play, but if they’re not compensating you, if you’re not comfortable playing on what they’re offering, then hold out.”

Players have a lot of issues with the franchise tag. The biggest is that it provides no long-term security in a naturally violent sport.

“Let them see how they fare without you,” Ingram said. “And I guarantee they don’t fare well without Saquon. Saquon’s been carrying that team for four years and they don’t want to pay him. Josh Jacobs, the rushing champ, they don’t want to pay him. See how they fare without him? You know what I mean?”

The problem for running backs is that the market is down on the position group as a whole. With a salary cap in the NFL, teams need to pick and choose where to spend their money. Running backs, which seem replaceable to many teams, are then undervalued because they tend to suffer from injuries and short careers.

“I don’t want to ever tell someone to hold out because that money is something that you can’t recoup, especially in a market where they’re not valuing running backs. But, at the same time, that’s something that you have to do,” Ingram said. “And if you have to gamble on yourself, that’s what you should do.”

Mark Ingram on the NFL devaluing running backs

The trend of devaluing running backs in the NFL has been going on for some time now. It’s an action that Mark Ingram thinks is criminal.

“I think it’s criminal. I think it’s a shame that we have come to this, and that they’re devaluing the position. You have some of the best players in the league, regardless of position, who are coming up on long-term contracts, and they’re trying to control the salaries. They’re trying to control the market, devalue the position and not compensate these guys for what they have earned and what they provide to their teams,” Ingram said.

“Running backs are invaluable to the teams. Unless you have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, you are going to need a running game and a running back that can help you. We block, we catch, we run. All those things are invaluable, and help the team win. So, it’s highly unfortunate what’s going on… The running backs all need to come together and we need to come up with a solution.”