The Las Vegas Raiders surprised everyone last season, making the playoffs under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia and overcoming some huge obstacles throughout the season. The team ultimately fell short in the wild card round of the playoffs to the eventual AFC representative in the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals.
The AFC West has gotten even more competitive so far this offseason, with the Seattle Seahawks trading star quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers trading for star pass rusher Khalil Mack.
This certainly means that the Raiders will need to have a good offseason if they want to keep pace with the other impressive teams in the division. However, reports came out Thursday that they may be losing a very underrated piece to their offense going forward.
The Raiders have decided that they will not be tendering fullback and team captain Alec Ingold, making him a free agent on March 16. It is possible, but unlikely, that he could re-sign with Vegas.
A surprise: The #Raiders are not tendering fullback and team captain Alec Ingold, per source.
Ingold tore his ACL in Week 10, but is expected to be full go for training camp. Las Vegas isn’t closing the door on bringing him back. But he’ll be free to sign anywhere March 16.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2022
Ingold tore his ACL back in a Week 10 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs but is expected to be ready for training camp next season, wherever he ends up playing.
These reports have gotten the NFL world talking, with many Raiders fans calling for the team to bring him back next year.
Man, that’s disappointing. I know the offense won’t utilize the FB position as much, but Alec Ingold is a Raider through and through. 😔 https://t.co/h2eFQnNUd0
— Cousin Vinnie (@vinniecosce) March 11, 2022
Not a fan of this move! #RaiderNation https://t.co/MgGqejh28z
— AllDaySports (@TroySports112) March 10, 2022
Bring Ingold back !!! That’s OUR FB @AI_XLV https://t.co/8kQzs3Eg0b
— 🏴☠️🇲🇽 Josh “FargoRaider” Maldonado 🇺🇸🏴☠️ (@FargoRaider27) March 10, 2022
#RaiderNation is not going to like this, nor should they
Ingold is a heart and soul guy on the field and one of the first guys to get out in the community. 1st #Raiders player to score a TD @AllegiantStadm https://t.co/08akr740Nt
— Vince Sapienza (@VinceSapienza) March 10, 2022
Meanwhile, fans of other teams are certainly excited that one of the best fullbacks in the league will be hitting the open market next week.
Ingold makes a lot of sense for the #Dolphins https://t.co/YJNqlGvXll
— Bobby Fins Talk (@BobbyFinsTalk) March 10, 2022
Ingold played the 3rd most special teams snaps for the Raiders before he got hurt.
He raved about Rich Bisaccia for 10 minutes during an interview with Will Compton a month ago.
Don’t rule him out for Green Bay. https://t.co/zIbie0dxRl
— Daire Carragher (@DaireCarragher) March 10, 2022
If the Broncos want a FB, he’s a good one. Shouldn’t cost much either. Maybe a one year prove your healthy deal. https://t.co/qImoLM0uPI
— Broncos_Reloading (@PolishFilipino) March 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/arrosen76/status/1502008541292470286
While many NFL teams have gone away from using fullbacks in their offensive schemes, Ingold is a Swiss Army knife who plays special teams as well for the Raiders.
The team replaced Bissacia in the offseason with new head coach Josh McDaniels, so it may be that McDaniels’ offensive scheme doesn’t have much use for Ingold’s position.
The team voted him as their captain last season, which is certainly high praise for Ingold’s character. If any team is looking for a fullback in the offseason with some versatility, he will likely be at the top of their list.
