The Los Angeles Chargers announced on Sunday that they've reached an agreement on a new four-year contract with outside linebacker Melvin Ingram.
Ingram was franchise-tagged earlier this offseason after racking up 18.5 sacks over the last two years. CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco ranked Ingram as the top available free agent on the market this offseason, but the Chargers wisely elected to give themselves some extra time to reach a deal with him by using the tag. They had until July 15 to do so but wrapped things up with a month to spare.
According to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, Ingram's new deal is worth $66 million over four years, $42 million of which is guaranteed.
The $66 million total is tied for the fourth-most among outside linebackers, according to Spotrac, behind only Von Miller, Justin Houston and Chandler Jones -- all of whom signed for five or six years. The average annual value of Ingram's deal checks in at $16.5 million, about $1.5 million more than he'd have made under the franchise tag in 2017, and equal to Jones' AAV in the contract he signed with the Cardinals earlier this offseason. The guaranteed sum of $42 million is fourth-most among outside linebackers, but at 63.6 percent of the total value, Ingram got a higher guarantee rate than all of the other top-of-the-market pass-rushing outside linebackers.
With Ingram now locked in long-term and Joey Bosa still under contract for three more years plus a fifth-year option, the Chargers have the core of their pass-rush signed through 2020.