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New Orleans Saints: Mark Ingram-Jason Kelce trade wouldn’t have worked

By Rebecca Mills

Sep 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) scores a touchdown past Atlanta Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds (53) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Falcons defeated the Saints 45-32. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) scores a touchdown past Atlanta Falcons linebacker LaRoy Reynolds (53) during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Falcons defeated the Saints 45-32. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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A few weeks ago, rumors flew of the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles trading Mark Ingram for Jason Kelce but thankfully for both, it never did.

The New Orleans Saints have a crowd at running back. With Mark Ingram, Adrian Peterson and possibly Alvin Kamara are all fighting for a spot while the Eagles can’t seem to find something consistent. Their consistency comes in the form of Jason Kelce, a veteran center. In the initial wake of Max Unger’s injury, an Ingram-Kelce trade was floated. What seemed like a solid trade on paper would have been a disaster.

Just to scratch the surface, the trade isn’t all that fair. The Eagles would be getting a veteran to pair with Darren Sproles and hopefully become what they hoped DeMarco Murray would be. Then the Saints would be getting Kelce in place of the injured Unger. The only problem there is Unger actually wouldn’t be out for that long. Ingram would solve a consistent problem while Kelce would solve a temporary problem.

Kelce solves the temporary problem, but then what? The Saints wouldn’t be willing to part with Ingram unless they knew of a sweeter deal. Maybe they’d ask for Jordan Hicks or Mychal Kendricks to solve their linebacker problem, but would the Eagles be willing to do that? Trade an aging center and a defensive player for a running back? More than likely, no.

With the Eagles currently rebuilding, it’s hard to imagine them giving up a valuable piece. They’ve been trying to get rid of Kelce for a while now. Maybe neither team wanted another player. The other avenues could include money and future draft picks, which could get messy. The options are endless, but honestly, one team would have gotten the raw deal: the Saints.

Both teams seem to have moved on, though. The Eagles went on to sign LeGarrette Blount to a one-year deal with the possibility of an extension. The Saints have yet to sign a center, but recent reports have noted (per ESPN) Unger will be ready before their first regular season game, contrary to initial rumblings after his injury was reported.

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It would have been a wild trade if it materialized. Would it have catapulted either on the road to the Super Bowl? It’s hard to say because each team has a lot of tools, but can’t seem to get it together. Both the Saints and the Eagles are probably grateful now that they didn’t go through it, though.

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