Here we go. Alvin Kamara left the final New Orleans Saints minicamp practice early on Thursday due to a contract dispute, as first reported by the Times-Picayune’s Luke Johnson, NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill confirmed the news, adding that “there hasn’t been much progress” in ongoing talks about an extension with the star running back, which was corroborated by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, citing Kamara’s agent Brad Cicala. Kamara wants a new deal, and the Saints are at least willing to talk shop. But the two sides are too far apart as we move into the summer.
Kamara has the highest salary cap hit on the team right now ($18.5 million), most of it coming from his $10.2 million base salary. While he’s technically under contract for 2025, his cap hit skyrockets to $29 million, most of it coming from an unguaranteed $22.4 million base salary. The Saints would extend or release him before paying that, so he’s attempting to force their hand and accelerate the timeline — with the goal being a new deal.
It’s in both sides’ interest to shake hands and put pens to paper. The Saints don’t have another proven running back on the roster. They only got one game with a healthy and productive Kendre Miller last year. Jamaal Williams was a poor fit in Pete Carmichael’s offense and it remains to be seen whether Klint Kubiak can do a better job using his talents. At the same time, Kamara isn’t going to get a better contract offer on the open market than he’ll find in New Orleans. Sure there would be teams interested in him, but look at the latest big-money contracts handed out to veteran free agents:
- Saquon Barkley: $12.58 million per year
- Josh Jacobs: $12 million per year
- Derrick Henry: $8 million per year
- D’Andre Swift: $8 million per year
- Tony Pollard: $7.25 million per year
- Aaron Jones: $7 million per year
Kamara is older than everyone in that group besides Henry and Jones, so those are the two closest comparisons we should look at it. The Saints might be willing to pay Kamara closer to the high end of this scale. Other teams likely won’t. On top of the money involved he won’t have to learn a new offense and acclimate to a new locker room halfway through the offseason. He’s been in the building and working on the field while speaking eagerly about his fit in Klint Kubiak’s system. This shouldn’t be a high-stakes negotiations, but something has to give.
