Getty Melvin Ingram sacks Raiders QB Derek Carr.
The Pittsburgh Steelers do not appear willing to trade Melvin Ingram to an AFC rival.
According to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala, the Steelers received a trade offer from the Kansas City Chiefs for Ingram. However, it appears Pittsburgh does not want to trade the three-time Pro Bowler to their competition.
As @RapSheet reported this weekend, OLB Melvin Ingram does indeed want out of Pittsburgh after seeing a reduction in his playing time. I’m told KC made an offer, but the #Steelers ideally don’t want to send him to an AFC team. Could the #Cardinals make a good trade partner?
At a record of 3-3, the Steelers are in the thick of the playoff hunt. In fact, they’re just a half-game behind the Cleveland Browns for the last wild card spot — who they will play in Week 8.
The Chiefs are currently at a record of 3-4 and are clearly contending with the Steelers for one of the seven AFC playoff spots.
If Ingram is traded by the deadline on Nov. 2, it’ll likely be to an NFC team — not an AFC one.
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Ingram’s Rapid Decrease in Playing Time
The 32-year-old Ingram has seen his playing time sharply decrease as of late. In the Steelers’ Week 6 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, he played in a season-low 26% of the defensive snaps.
That’s a clear decline from the 60% of defensive snaps he played in during the previous week against the Denver Broncos. Ingram appeared in 86% of the snaps in Week 2 and 100% of the snaps in Week 3.
The 10-year veteran inked a one-year deal with the Steelers in the offseason after spending all nine years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers. However, it’s become clear that Ingram isn’t finding the same type of success in his new surroundings as he did with the Chargers.
Despite playing 227 defensive snaps this year, the outside linebacker’s impact has been minimal. He has just six tackles and one sack on the season.
However, his defensive grade of 73.6 this season actually ranks him 34th among 110 qualifying linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus.
Steelers Receiving Calls About Ingram
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Sunday, October 24 that Ingram was generating trade interest around the league.
“The longtime Chargers veteran landed in Pittsburgh this year and has yet to hit his stride.” said Rapoport. “With inconsistent playing time, teams have begun calling the Steelers about potentially trading for Ingram, and it does appear the Steelers have listened and engaged. Due the balance of just $1.075 million in base salary (the team paid $2.925 million in a signing bonus), Ingram isn’t expensive. The Chiefs have been among those on the hunt around the league for a pass rusher, and they did host Ingram on a visit before he signed.”
Ingram started every game he played in from 2014 until 2020 with the Chargers. The veteran linebacker has started just one of six games this season for the Steelers.
Considering his low salary cap hit and ability to rush the passer — Ingram posted 24.5 combined sacks from 2017 until 2019 — there shouldn’t any shortage of suitors for Ingram at the deadline.
However, Pittsburgh isn’t desperate to deal Ingram. After rebuffing the Chiefs’ offer, the Steelers will be very picky in their possible trade partner when it comes to dealing their veteran pass rusher.