Melvin Ingram saw teammate Joey Bosa get a yacht-load of cash with a new long-term contract and wants a similar prize.
Ingram is amid a hold-in as the Los Angeles Chargers hit the field for the first padded practices of the year this week. With the new CBA all but making holdouts prohibitive, Ingram is at the facility, going to meetings and the like, but not participating in practices in hopes of getting a new contract.
Ingram has the support of the man who just got his own bag of money.
"We've talked a little bit, and all I have to say is I'm going to support him," Bosa said, via the Los Angeles Times. "He's going to make the best decision for him and his family. I have faith in him that he's going to make the right decisions."
Ingram attended Tuesday's practice but again did not participate in drills.
Ingram enters the final year of a four-year, $64 million contract signed in 2017. Bosa inked a five-year, $135 million extension earlier this month, which made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
The 31-year-old Ingram wants his own payday before putting his body in harm's way again.
"At the end of the day, it is a business, and he has to take care of himself," Bosa said. "I think he would love to play with us. He wants to be out there. But he's gotta handle business."
With the regular-season kickoff 25 days away, we'll see if Ingram and the Chargers get that business handled before the 2020 season starts.
