Saints' RB Alvin Kamara has had an unexcused absence from training camp the past three days and it is believe to be contract related, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2020
The New Orleans Saints got the ball rolling on a contract extension with Alvin Kamara nearly two weeks ago, but Kamara appears to be doing what he can to push things towards the finish line. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that Kamara missed three days of training camp practices, which is believed to be related to ongoing contract talks with the Saints.
Progress on a Kamara contract extension was backed up by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, who reported that negotiations have progressed over the last week. Kamara missed two practice sessions early last week with a stomach virus before taking an unexplained absence, which Saints coach Sean Payton declined to comment on after Monday’s practice.
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Kamara offered his stance on a potential extension back on Aug. 10, saying: “Me and my agent talked briefly about it and I said, ‘Don’t tell me anything about a contract until it’s like something where it’s happening or if it’s something that I need to know,’ other than that, like if I was my own agent then I’d have everything to tell you guys about a contract, but I’m not. I don’t talk upstairs about contracts, I don’t talk to coaches about contracts. I’m just here to do my job.”
Hammering out a new deal for Kamara and the Saints is a tricky process. He’s played just as efficiently as Christian McCaffrey and the game’s other top-paid running backs, but Kamara hasn’t been able to match them in sheer volume. He was also hobbled by a 2019 knee injury, raising concerns about his long-term durability. But there’s no doubting whether he’s as talented as any other runner you’ll find around the league.
This is a rapidly-developing situation, and a quasi-holdout like this by Kamara could expedite things; the strategy worked for Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram, who secured a $14 million guaranteed salary after sitting out several days of work. Keep an eye out for updates in the days ahead.
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