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New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is reportedly seeking a “reworked” contract before the start of the 2024 season.
“I can confirm he missed the final day of minicamp and that was contract-related,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. “He’s got two years left on his deal, due $11.8 million this year. The problem is next year he’s due $25 million non-guaranteed. The Saints, there’s no way that they’re going to pay that.
“And so, I’m told Kamara is open to doing a reworked two-year deal, strengthen his guarantees in year one. They’ve talked about it. So far, not a lot of momentum. We’ll see if something shakes out. He could be a threat to miss training camp if they don’t get something done before late July.”
Kamara, who turns 29 in July, signed a five-year, $75 million contract with the Saints in 2020. The deal included a $22.4 million base salary for the 2025 season that was almost certain never to be paid. While it artificially inflated the value of Kamara’s contract, that number was always going to be reduced or renegotiated.
Kamara missed four games due to injury last season and continued his subtle decline as an all-purpose playmaker. He rushed for a career-low 694 yards and five touchdowns while adding 466 yards and one touchdown as a receiver. Those 466 receiving yards came on 75 receptions, leading to a career-low 6.2 yards per reception average.
Despite the slight decline, Kamara went over 1,000 total yards for the seventh straight season and remains one of the NFL’s most versatile backs. He’s seemingly not seeking an extension but rather a reworked contract that offers him some financial comfort either this or next season.
“I understand what, kind of, the word has been, doing something different and everybody being here,” Kamara told reporters after skipping the last day of mandatory minicamp. “For me, it was just, I kind of just stuck to what I know. I don’t think any of my teammates took offense to it really. Like I said … I talk to a lot of these dudes every other day. It is what it is. It’s like ‘Oh there’s different things pulling’ and this and that. I had a family last year. It’s not something that’s pulling on me. … The most stressful thing for me right now is that my left rear tire has low pressure. Everything else, I’m good. I feel great. That’s that. I feel good, I’m doing what I’ve always done.”
The Saints did not make any noteworthy changes to their running back depth chart this offseason, so Kamara is in a relative position of power. He’s clearly ahead of fellow veteran Jamaal Williams and second-year running back Kendre Miller, so the Saints could look to appease Kamara by offering him a few extra million with the knowledge this is likely his last season in New Orleans.
At the very least, the move could open up some room for a Saints franchise that has been kicking the salary cap can down the road for years. Kamara carries an $18.6 million cap number in 2024.
Miller, a 2023 third-round pick, is a potential heir apparent who could take over the backfield in 2025.