By CJ Carlson
Alvin Kamara has been a critical part of the New Orleans Saints’ success in the last couple of years. The entire fanbase doesn’t want to lose him, and neither does the organization. However, things haven’t gone according to plan lately.
Alvin Kamara Showed Up To Training Camp
Kamara exited mandatory minicamps early back in June. When people wondered why he was absent, his agent came out and confirmed that the issue was contract related. This isn’t entirely surprising, as we’ve seen contract holdouts happen relatively often. He’s set to earn $18.5 million in 2024 and 2025 will be the final year of his current deal. Kamara seems to be looking for a pay bump due to some other backs getting bigger paydays.
There was concern that he wouldn’t be showing up for training camp, and any absence would hit him with hefty fines from the organization. To the surprise of many, including myself, Kamara showed up to camp anyway. General manager Mickey Loomis had this to say about it, “I haven’t had a conversation with him today, but he’s here. I appreciate that he’s here.” Shortly afterward, Kamara took to social media to post a photo of himself alongside Marshawn Lynch. For those that might not understand the significance, Lynch has an infamous clip where he’s talking to the media and says, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined”. That’s what Kamara is getting at here.
It doesn’t take much searching into the Saints community to figure out that nobody wants Kamara to leave the team. Not only would his absence leave a hole in the backfield, but he’s an absolute fan favorite. The team has already taken enough of a hit in popularity with Michael Thomas leaving, Drew Brees retiring, and Mark Ingram retiring. Losing Kamara as well could be the icing on the cake, especially considering that Marshon Lattimore was in trade discussions in the offseason as well. Kamara shouldn’t go anywhere, though things haven’t moved forward in contract talks. It’s been reported that Kamara and the team haven’t progressed at all on a new deal, which is never something you want to hear.
Kamara Shouldn’t Go Anywhere
You might be wondering why it’s such a big deal to hold onto Kamara. After all, his name hasn’t been talked about nearly as much, and many believe he just fell off entirely. That’s simply not the case. Over his entire career, Kamara has racked up over 10,000 yards from scrimmage and 77 touchdowns in 101 games. In 2022 he had 1,400 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. In 2023 he had 1,200 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. These are still starting caliber numbers, and both seasons saw him miss at least two games. On top of that, he’s a playmaker that you can move all over the place. For the last few years, the Saints have been under the play-calling of Pete Carmichael, who’s now off to the Denver Broncos. With a new offensive coordinator in place and Derek Carr getting more comfortable in his second season, there’s real potential for Kamara to be utilized like a star again, something sure to drive up his asking price. Let’s just hope talks progress sooner rather than later. Even Kamara himself has stated that he’d like to retire a Saint and “get one of those lifetime contracts”.