The Chargers have placed the franchise tag on edge rusher Melvin Ingram, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Ingram becomes the fifth pending free agent to be handed the franchise tender today, joining Chandler Jones, Kawann Short, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Le’Veon Bell.
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Ingram, 27, will earn a one-year, fully guaranteed salary of roughly $14.75MM, although the exact figure won’t be known until the NFL announces the official salary cap for 2017. After seeing Ingram post 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons, Los Angeles was more than willing to pay that total in order to ensure he’ll will remain with the Chargers for at least one more campaign.
Rival clubs can still bid on Ingram, but they’d have to sacrifice two first-round picks in order to sign him away. Los Angeles has until July 15 to sign Ingram to an extension, or he’ll be forced to play out the season on the one-year tender.
Ingram placed fourth on the most recent edition of PFR’s Free Agent Power Rankings, and was listed second on our list of free agent edge defenders, just behind Jones and ahead of Pierre-Paul. The No. 6 pass rusher in the NFL last season — according to Pro Football Focus — Ingram will return to Los Angeles to pair with PFF’s No. 5 edge player, Joey Bosa. Both defenders will likely play end in new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley‘s 4-3 scheme.
The 2017 free agent class of edge defenders is rapidly thinning now that Ingram, Jones, and Pierre-Paul are all under the franchise tag. Nick Perry (Packers), Jabaal Sheard (Patriots), James Harrison (Steelers), and John Simon (Texans) look like the next best options among pass rushing free agents.
I hate math, but wouldn’t that make him the fourth one? Or would it be fifth, since Bell was tagged, too?