Mark Ingram decided to skip the New Orleans Saints' OTAs and offseason conditioning program, but not because he's unhappy with his contract.

The running back says he wanted to change up his regimen and work out on his own heading into his eighth season.

Ingram, who is facing a four-game suspension to start the season, said he'll be prepared to "jump right in immediately and make an impact" when he returns in Week 5.

"You know, people will make their own narrative. The media makes their own narrative. I'm not angry with my contract. I wasn't holding out," he said.

"Yeah, I'm in the last year of my deal. Of course I'd like an extension. But that's not the reason I wasn't here," Ingram continued. "You have the option to stay home and train on your own. ... The main reason that I was not here was because I was training on my own, working on some things that I felt like I needed to get better at, that I could do best on my own."