Veteran edge rusher Melvin Ingram made a noticeable impact for Kansas City last season when the team traded for him last October. In the free-agent market, Ingram has since been floating around, awaiting his next contract. Many presumed the Chiefs would attempt to bring him back on a new contract, but it was also clear that the team didn’t want to spend a lot on Ingram’s services for 2022.
That’s all true. But rather than re-sign the aging vet or watch him sign on with another club after the compensatory pick deadline, which passed at 3 p.m. on Monday (which negatively impacts the Chiefs’ opportunity to collect a compensatory draft pick in 2023), the team has exploited a seldom-used tactic.
As reported by ESPN NFL Insider Fied Yates, the Chiefs placed a UFA tender on Ingram Monday. Yates says the Baltimore Ravens have done the same thing with former Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston.
This means that if Ingram signs with a team on July 22 or the first day of training camp (whichever comes first), he will still be part of the formula that hands out compensatory draft picks. In other words, Kansas City will still get a compensatory draft pick of equal value if Ingram signs with another club.
However, if Ingram is still a free agent after the deadline mentioned above passes, then Ingram, in this case, could sign the tender and return to Kansas City, making 10% more than his total earnings from 2021.
This means that unless Ingram signs with another club before late July, he’s less than guaranteed to return to the Chiefs in 2022.
