Former Alabama All-American Mark Ingram planned to play in the 2023 NFL season – and he hasn’t ruled it out entirely yet even though he’s preparing for Week 1 of the college football season as a member of FOX Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” program on Saturday.

During an appearance on “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast” on Wednesday, Ingram said the decision to step away from the NFL after 12 seasons for the media opportunity came down to weighing three years against 20 because he “100 percent” could have continued playing.

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“If I do play, let’s say I play another one year, two years, God willing tops maybe three,” Ingram said. “That’s still not that long. And in the grand scheme of things, this is an opportunity where I can get in the door with a great network with a great position on a desk at a premier college football show and be able to grow in the industry, continue to improve, continue to get better and, hopefully, be able to do this career for 20, 30 years. So it was kind of like a decision like that, and it all just kind of fell into position for me at the perfect moment, and that’s the blessing of it.

“I’m in a position 12 years into my career, I don’t want to go play for a team that’s going to win six games or seven games. If you’re a true legit contender, go ahead and give me a shout, give me a call, I’ll listen, but that wasn’t the case. What was happening in my free agency, there were some good teams that called, but nothing I was ready to jump at, nothing that was making sense for the team or me at the moment.”

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Ingram ran for 233 yards and one touchdown on 62 carries and caught 16 passes for 68 yards in 10 games for the New Orleans Saints last season. He missed the final four games of the season because of a knee injury, but Ingram said: “At the end of the season, I got healthy, my body was feeling good and I’m like definitely, definitely capable and wanted to play this year.”

Then FOX Sports called.

“It was just a blessing for me,” Ingram said. “It all happened for me at the right time. I was a free agent this offseason. I was getting some calls, and FOX gives me a call, like they have a job opening. Would I be interested? And so I was a free agent, still training, still getting some calls, and I’m like, ‘Man, this is an opportunity I can’t pass up.’ These opportunities on these desks, they don’t come around too much. When people hold these desk jobs, they hold them for several, several years unless something happens.”

While a college player, Ingram won the 2009 Heisman Trophy playing for Alabama’s undefeated BCS national-championship team. He was the Crimson Tide’s first Heisman winner as a member of coach Nick Saban’s first national-championship team at Alabama.

Ingram’s NFL achievements include becoming the New Orleans Saints’ career leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, running for more than 1,000 yards in three seasons and earning three Pro Bowl invitations – two with the Saints and one with the Baltimore Ravens.

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But Ingram said that might not be the final word on his NFL career.

“I didn’t officially retire,” Ingram said. “I didn’t say to the Saints, ‘I’m retiring.’ I didn’t say to the Ravens, ‘I’m retiring.’ I didn’t say to the NFL, ‘I’m retiring.’ But everyone’s under that assumption because I took this job with ‘Big Noon.’ I am super contend with my job, and I’m looking forward to my job, and I have every obligation and intention of fulfilling my job because I’m excited about it.

“But we’re done in like the first week in December, so if some team is having trouble and my ‘Big Noon’ schedule’s over and you need a ballplayer for a legit run at the playoffs, you got three full regular season (games) left and a playoff run, I’m the man for you.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.