The NFL’s restructure kingpins, the Saints have not touched Alvin Kamara‘s contract this offseason. Although the team has used the deal for cap savings in the past, the structure of the Pro Bowl running back’s deal points to 2024 serving as his de facto contract year.
Kamara’s five-year, $75MM extension runs through 2025, but the ’25 season features a nonguaranteed $22.4MM base salary that almost definitely will not be paid out. This situation brought a notable development Thursday. Kamara left the Saints’ facility before the team’s minicamp practice, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the exit came about because of a contract issue.
The sides have engaged in discussions about the deal this offseason, according to Underhill, but they have not made progress toward a solution. The eighth-year back is indeed seeking an extension, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan adds. Kamara, who will turn 29 next month, is attached to a $10.2MM base salary for the 2024 season.
During a rather bleak period for running back value, Kamara became one of the winners. The versatile back locked down a $15MM-per-year deal — albeit with a dummy final year in place to inflate the AAV — just before the 2020 season. In terms of per-year value, that contract matched Ezekiel Elliott‘s for second — behind Christian McCaffrey‘s Panthers-constructed extension — among running backs. Kamara has done well to remain on the pact, but he is now the only NFL RB still attached to a deal he signed in 2020.
The NFL’s eight-figure-per-year RB club sustained hits in recent years. Before bringing back Elliott this offseason, the Cowboys jettisoned his six-year, $90MM deal. The Vikings moved Dalvin Cook‘s five-year, $63MM contract off the books in May 2023. These cuts came during an offseason in which the Packers and Bengals, respectively, gave Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon pay cuts. Following a major knee injury, Nick Chubb accepted a Browns pay cut. Jones, Mixon and Derrick Henry relocated this year and are tied to lower-level deals; though, Mixon still secured eight figures guaranteed on his multiyear Texans pact.
The RB landscape has changed during Kamara’s contract, but unlike the wide receiver market, no value spike has taken place. Kamara’s AAV still sits second — behind McCaffrey’s new two-year, $38MM 49ers extension — though Jonathan Taylor has since signed a three-year, $42MM deal that does not feature a phony final-season number. Only five RBs are now tied to eight-figure AAVs, with one of those deals — Josh Jacobs‘ — containing only $12.5MM guaranteed at signing. Kamara has done well on this contract, though it is not difficult to envision the Saints shedding it from their payroll in 2025.
Kamara, who served a three-game suspension in connection with an assault incident, finished with a career-low 1,160 scrimmage yards last season. Kamara’s minus-99 rushing yards over expected represented the fourth-worst number, per Next Gen Stats, last season. Kamara also ranked in the bottom 10 in RYOE in 2022, when he scored just four touchdowns and fumbled four times. While Kamara served as a central part of the Saints’ success over Drew Brees‘ final four seasons, he has not stood out in the two years since Sean Payton‘s departure.
The Saints can create $25MM in cap savings next year by designating Kamara as a post-June 1 cut, with Duncan adding there is “no way” the Saints keep Kamara on this contract beyond 2024. Going into this season with a Saints-high $18.6MM cap number, Kamara is tied to $29.1MM figure in 2025. The five-time Pro Bowler faces a $17K fine for skipping today’s workout. The focus will now turn toward training camp, as Kamara would face $50K fines for each day missed.
Offer somewhere between 3/39 to 3/45, and call it a deal or find a replacement. He should, “should ” being the optimal word, do well in Kubiak’s zone scheme but may see his pass-catching stats go down.
He’s not worth that money, so why would they offer it? He’s probably not even worth the $10mill he’s getting this year. No way they want to tack years on. Not sure what Kamara expects here. He was mediocre at best as a runner last year. He’s not getting a raise or an extension.
I sympathize with the RBs. They probably take more of a physical beating than any other position yet get chickenfeed salaries compared to the QBs and WRs. That ain’t right. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear as if the players union will do anything to improve their situation.
Yep, hard to live on 10 million these days. Might have to take the bus to work and pack PB&J for snack during practice. lol
He should thank the lame justice system that he’s not in prison. He should take the money and save some for lawyers and bail. Trends say he’s going to need it.
Interior linemen take a pounding on every single play and for the majority of the leagues history were amongst the lowest paid positions.
There is far less inertia in line of scrimmage battles and the player weights tend to offset each other so the pounding is not really similar to what a RB experiences. We see OL like Jason Peters and Duane Brown endure that type of punishment to age 40. You don’t see too many 40 yr old RBs on rosters.
As a whole, I also sympathize with the RBs. They take as much -or more- of a beating than almost any other position, yet they rank near the bottom in pay. It’s almost impossible to earn a second contract worth anything as a RB too after they squeeze everything they can out of you on your rookie deal.
As it relates to Alvin though, the Saints have taken care of him well in the past. Nothing from last season suggests he deserves a new deal. If he wants to take his ball and go home, it’s cool. Bye. If he wants to go out there and show he still has something left in the tank though, maybe he can earn a new deal.
I wouldn’t shed any tears if the Saints could somehow move off his contract.
Every dog has his day and his was that rookie year when nobody could touch him. He’s slowly moved back to the pack in terms of speed and agility.
And yes, RB’s take a beating (see my name for clarification) and don’t last long, or at least our knees don’t.
Low character man.
Bye bye Alvin! Saints – please stop paying players for past performance! That why you are always in cap hell. Jamal Williams can accomplish just as much if not more than Kamara for 2024.
If Kendre Miller can stay healthy I think he could have a big year after missing most of his rookie season.
Kamara starting a whole new trend. Holding out of minicamp is so “last year”. Real holders out show up to camp and then dramatically exit it.
Should be sending some of these extra dollars to Mr. Greene, the victim of the brutal assault that was initiated by poor old Alvin looking to be fully vindicated.
“Kamara’s attorneys have cast the altercation as self-defense by Kamara and criticized prosecutors for taking the case to a grand jury, where testimony was taken and evidence presented behind closed doors.
Outside the court Thursday, lawyer David Chesnoff said only that Kamara looked forward to trial “and full vindication.”
Attorneys representing Young and Harris declined to comment.
Lammons’ attorney, Ross Goodman, acknowledged that Lammons struck Greene, but called it “a measured response” to being pushed or shoved in the nightclub hallway. The lawyer said Lammons, 27, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, then tried to pull the other men away.
Greene was treated for a fracture of the bones around an eye, and reported neck, back, shoulder and knee injuries, according to police and court filings in New Orleans.
“At no point during this attack did Greene hit, punch or push Kamara or any of his associates,” Las Vegas police said in an arrest report.
Police said the incident began when Kamara put his hand on Greene’s chest to stop him from entering an elevator, Greene pushed the football player’s hand away, and a person with Kamara punched Greene.
In the police report, a detective said: “When asked why Kamara punched Greene, Kamara indicated he thought Greene was running away and had done something to his group so he chased and punched Greene several times.”
Greene has a civil lawsuit pending against Kamara in a New Orleans court, seeking at least $10 million in damages.
“Mr. Greene was only trying to get on an elevator and was beaten almost to death,” Greene’s attorney in Houston, Tony Buzbee, said in a email Monday. Buzbee said the civil lawsuit is on hold pending the outcome in the Las Vegas case.”
Of course, so who’s next on ‘I want more’ train?