The New Orleans Saints and Alvin Kamara are in contract discussions according to multiple outlets. This has somewhat been a long time coming, as Kamara is essentially in the last year of his contract with how the structure was created. Ultimately a new extension would be in the plans as otherwise, he would receive $25 million next season. The Saints would release him before they’d pay that.
Running back extensions have been somewhat few and far between lately, with many teams just swapping out backs like the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Philadelphia Eagles among others. However, one extension looms over the rest: Christian McCaffrey received a new deal with the San Francisco 49ers worth $38 million over two seasons. McCaffrey is the only running back earning more per year than Kamara right now.
Both star players received extensions back in 2020, with Kamara receiving a 5-year deal worth $75 million, and McCaffrey receiving a 4-year deal worth $64 million. Ultimately, McCaffrey ended up in San Francisco and continued to build his legacy by performing above and beyond what was initially anticipated. Kamara, on the other hand, while still impressive, has struggled with injuries and inconsistent production. This does come with the notion that he has had different quarterbacks for many of these seasons, and Pete Carmichael left a lot to be desired as an offensive coordinator.
Ultimately, the likelihood that McCaffrey’s deal impacts Kamara’s negotiations is minimal, as they are on a different plane of play nowadays. However, the length of the contract is worth noting, as despite being one of the, if not the top running back in the league, McCaffrey only received two more seasons. So the expectation is that Kamara would only receive a shorter contract overall. Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones both fall into a similar realm as Kamara in age and recent injury histories, and both received new deals with their respective new teams in free agency:
- Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens): 2 years, $16 million
- Aaron Jones (Minnesota Vikings): 1 year, $7 million
Ultimately, the expectation that Kamara’s negotiations will be in the range of seven to ten million is reasonable, for likely one or two seasons to backload off some of next year’s contractual obligations into the future. While the monetary amount of McCaffrey’s contract may not play a role, the length most certainly is worth noting for any potential Kamara contract. If Kamara wants to retire in black and gold, he might be pushing for a longer deal.
