Category: Alvin Kamara

Report: Contract talks ‘reopened’ between the Saints and Alvin Kamara

NOF’s Nick Underhill reports contract talks reopened between the Saints and Alvin Kamara. No. 41 wants to be a New Orleans lifer:

If Alvin Kamara gets his way, he’ll finish his career in pro football with the New Orleans Saints. The Pro Bowl running back has done his part to earn a new deal before his contract runs out (or the Saints have to make a tough decision and cut him in 2025), playing through injury and rejecting rumors of a training camp holdout. But contract negotiations were slow to develop over the summer, and he’s still on track to be released in the spring before the team has to pay him any non-guaranteed money.

Per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, those talks reopened. It had been previously reported that Kamara tabled those discussions once the regular season started, since he didn’t want them to become a distraction when he was preparing for a game every week. Either he changed his stance or the team expressed such a great willingness to talk shop that he gave his agent the green light to pick up the phone.

This all comes as false rumors are spreading online about Kamara requesting a trade away from the Saints, which he publicly denied. When Underhill suggested that, if anything, Kamara wanted to stick around? Kamara kept his response direct: “Correct.”

Will the two sides ultimately come to an agreement? If the team’s early-season success is anything to go off of, he can still be part of the long-term solution as his career winds down. Better blocking and more creative play calling than what we saw with Pete Carmichael on the headset had Kamara looking like a possible Hall of Famer again. If the Saints plan on Klint Kubiak driving their offense (or someone running a similar offense), it would make sense to keep Kamara around.

But as Underhill said, nothing is imminent, so we’ll have to wait and see if this ends how Kamara — and the many fans who wear his jersey every Sunday — hope.

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No, Alvin Kamara did not request a trade from the Saints: ‘That’s a lie’

Alvin Kamara took time out of his Saturday to say, no, he did not request a trade from the Saints. He wants to sign an extension and stay in New Orleans:


Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet, even if it comes from a random fantasy football analyst with a couple thousand Twitter followers. Alvin Kamara had to take time out of his college football Saturday to say, no, he did not request a trade from the New Orleans Saints. He’s traveling to Knoxville to see if Tennessee can knock out Alabama again this year.

If anything, Kamara would rather sign an extension to become a Saints lifer. Everything he’s done this year has been in pursuit of that goal. Right now, the Saints are set to cut him in the spring rather than pay the non-guaranteed money left on his contract. He left minicamp early to put pressure on the front office. He didn’t hold out of training camp to make good on his word and support his teammates. He’s actively playing through hand and rib injuries to show he’s committed to helping them win football games.

He wants to stay in New Orleans and be able to say he’s spent his entire career with one team. Even if they’ve fallen into a 2-5 slump with poor coaching, injuries, and poor effort costing them games. If the Saints trade Kamara, it won’t be because he asked them to.

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Alvin Kamara won’t use injuries as an excuse for Saints’ losing streak

It may be easy to point to the Saints’ injuries as the reason for their five-game losing streak, but Alvin Kamara sees deeper issues at work:

The New Orleans Saints have to be one of the most injured teams in the NFL, but Alvin Kamara doesn’t believe getting healthy instantly turns this team around.

Chris Olave missed this game with a concussion and Rashid Shaheed is out for the season. The entire interior offensive line is out. The departure of Erik McCoy coincided with the speedy downfall of the offense. On top of everything, Derek Carr is also out for a few weeks due to injury, leaving rookie Spencer Rattler to lead the charge.

The defense is starting to get hit to with Paulson Adebo’s season-ending injury and Pete Werner’s prolonged absence.

It would be easy to blame injuries for the losing streak, but Kamara won’t do it. He sees multiple factors outside of health that contribute to the downward spiral.

“I think getting healthy makes us feel better,” Kamara began. “I don’t think it’s going to be the ultimate fix, because there’s things that we have to do better. We shoot ourselves in the foot. I don’t think we’re playing with a lot of detail.”

Health isn’t in your control but the things Kamara laid out are. Most importantly, they’re issues that could continue even with a fully healthy team.

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Alvin Kamara on losing streak: ‘Everybody gets on the hot seat’

Alvin Kamara says five-game losing streaks put everyone on the hot seat. Unfortunately, everyone may not share that philosophy:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers put 50 points on the board a week ago. This week, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos embarrassed the New Orleans Saints on Drew Brees’ induction night.

It’s been over a month since the Saints have been victorious. Since defeating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, the team has dropped 5 straight games.

Alvin Kamara understands what situation the Saints have put themselves in. Everyone should be under pressure, starting with Dennis Allen then trickling down: “The other reality of the business is when you start losing too much, everybody gets on the hot seat. The coaches, when coaches leave then players leave, then personnel.”

Who knows how hot Allen’s seat is, but it should be on fire.

Kamara articulated it perfectly. “When you get too many L’s and you don’t produce enough wins, everybody’s job is on the line.”

That’s how it should be. This is a results business. Allen’s results tell a pretty convincing story. He wasn’t successful in Oakland, and he hasn’t been successful in New Orleans.

The problem could be there’s not enough pressure being placed on Allen. The mediocrity of the Saints seems to be accepted. It’s been that way for a couple of years.

Dennis Allen probably isn’t on the hot seat, but therein lies the problem in New Orleans. Accepted mediocrity.

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Alvin Kamara says he can’t blame Saints fans for being ‘fed up’

Saints fans aren’t happy with the product being put out on the field by their team, and Alvin Kamara won’t blame them: ‘I would leave, too’

Saints fans aren’t happy with the product being put out on the field by their team, and it’s hard to cast much blame to them with New Orleans now on a dismal five-game losing streak. Boos and calls for head coach Dennis Allen’s job rained down before the Caesars Superdome stands began to clear out, leaving an orange swath of Denver Broncos fans in the lower bowl on Thursday night.

That’s something star running back Alvin Kamara made clear he understands well following the team’s 33-10 loss.

“I’ve been here eight years and I’ve never seen the Dome clear out like that,” Kamara said. “And I can’t blame them. They’re fed up. … I get it. I would leave, too.”

The way the Saints have performed since opening the season with two consecutive wins and what looked like could be a genuinely dangerous offense with a lot of firepower behind it with 91 points scored over that same time span.

Kamara has served as one of the team’s only bright spots looking at either side of the football, totaling 428 rushing yards on 104 carries with six touchdowns. As the popular example for what’s expected of NFL running backs in the modern era, Kamara has also been a factor out of the backfield in the receiving game. He has tallied 28 receptions on 36 targets so far this season with one score through the air.

He can’t do it all alone, though. The Saints will have their next opportunity to get back to the right side of the win column next Sunday when they go up against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. And if fans make their voices and disapproval heard again? He gets it.

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Alvin Kamara has already surpassed his 2023 TDs total

Alvin Kamara has already surpassed his 2023 touchdowns total. The New Orleans Saints running back retook the lead against the Bucs:


It only took Alvin Kamara six games to surpass his touchdown total from 2023. The New Orleans Saints running back followed his blockers and took advantage of a big gap created by right tackle Trevor Penning to twist and slip into the end zone, retaking the lead against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The difference between last year and this year is night and day for Alvin Kamara. Not only has his usage significantly higher, his touchdown rate is back up. There was once a time where Kamara was a touchdown machine.

That time was years ago, but it looks like it’s coming back. Kamara hasn’t scored a combined 10 touchdowns since 2020. That season he led the league with 21 total touchdowns. He hasn’t quite reached double digits, but he is well on the way if he keeps this up.

Kamara has now scored seven touchdowns this season. That’s more than he scored all season last year, and he’s done it on fewer touches. This rushing  touchdown against the Buccaneers was the 60th such score of his career.

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Alvin Kamara is our pick for Saints Offensive Player of September

Alvin Kamara has been the best player on the team through four weeks, silencing his doubters. He is our pick for Saints Offensive Player of September:

Alvin Kamara is the New Orleans Saints’ unequivocal offensive MVP through the first month of the season. There is little question of who has been the best player not only on the offense but the team in general.

This was the exact impact Klint Kubiak was supposed to have when he came into New Orleans. Dennis Allen hired Kubiak to rejuvenate a stagnant offense. The Shannahan-Kubiak system is the most sought after offensive scheme in the league and it starts with the running backs.

Kamara seemed to be held back by how he was used. Kamara’s strong start to the season only further confirmed this belief. He is back to being dynamic in the run game and the passing attack. The latter had faded recently without the creative routes and opportunities we saw earlier in his career.

Kamara has the most rushing touchdowns and scrimmage yards in the NFL going into Week 5. He’s taken the increased workload and is turning it into one of the most productive seasons in his career.

Some questioned if Kamara lost his explosiveness. The answer is clearly no. In a contract year, the start to the season has silenced many doubters.

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Saints take a tumble in USA Today’s Week 5 NFL power rankings

The New Orleans Saints took a tumble in USA Today’s Week 5 NFL power rankings, even if they have an MVP candidate in Alvin Kamara:

How would you say the the New Orleans Saints stack up among their peers? They looked like one of the league’s best teams after a 2-0 start, but a couple of injuries to Taysom Hill defanged their offense, which put more pressure  on their defense, and now they’re 2-2. And that fall has been reflected in the latest round of NFL power rankings from outlets across the league media landscape.

According to USA Today’s Nate Davis, this two-game slump warrants a drop from No. 9 to No. 16, even if Alvin Kamara is turning in an MVP-quality performance:

RB Alvin Kamara leads the league with 97 touches, 536 yards from scrimmage and six TDs – quite the workhorse production from a guy who spent most of his career in a backfield timeshare. He should be in the thick of the MVP debate.

Davis has two different NFC South teams ranked ahead of New Orleans, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 6 and the Atlanta Falcons rounding out the top-10. The Carolina Panthers are stuck in a very distant fourth place.

Power rankings aside, the Saints are very much still in this. The Bucs have a 3-1 record. The Falcons own a tiebreaker but they’re also 2-2. Things could tilt back in New Orleans’ favor in a hurry. But that won’t happen if they keep playing sloppy football and this losing streak continues. Kamara needs more help offensively and Dennis Allen’s defense must show it can sack the quarterback and stop the run. Until those things happen the Saints will keep looking up at their competition.

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Alvin Kamara’s usage in 2024 resembles 49ers star Christian McCaffrey in 2023

Alvin Kamara is the NFL’s biggest workhorse through four games. Klint Kubiak is using him similar to how San Francisco used Christian McCaffrey:

In Klint Kubiak’s system, Alvin Kamara has become a workhorse for the New Orleans Saints. You could even make the argument he’s the biggest workhorse in the NFL. His 97 touches are the most in the NFL through four  weeks.

It would be nice if Jamaal Williams or Kendre Miller, when he returns, would give some assistance. That hasn’t been the case, and Kamara is averaging over 24 touches per game. At this rate, he will topple his career-high 287 touches from 2021.

Kubiak’s last stop was with the San Francisco 49ers, and Kamara’s usage reflects Christian McCaffrey’s usage in 2023.

In that season, McCaffrey won Offensive Player of the Year. McCaffrey had the most touches in the NFL that season. The year is still young, but Kamara is in the same boat at the moment.

The term workhorse isn’t typically associated with McCaffrey or Kamara. They aren’t the style of running back you likely grew up watching. Their touches are spread out between rushing and receiving.

However, the style of play at the position has changed and the way we use that word should be tweaked too. McCaffrey didn’t have the most carries and neither does Kamara. They both lead their team in carries by a landslide while also being important receiving threats.

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Dennis Allen called out Saints’ underwhelming secondary targets on offense

Dennis Allen is calling for someone outside of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Taysom Hill to step up in the Saints offense:

The New Orleans Saints lack depth at offensive playmaker. Taysom Hill is a do it all player, who’s impact on the team is even more apparent in his absence. Alvin Kamara is the only impactful running back on the roster.

When you look at the passing attack specifically, Derek Carr primarily throws the ball to Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. After that there’s a steep dropoff.

Carr previously commented on the lack of targets for players after the Big 3. He pointed towards game-planning as a reason for funneling so many passes to his top options. Dennis Allen is now calling for players behind them to step up.

Saints News Network’s John Hendrix shared Allen’s comment: “We got to find some other guys that can make plays for us other than Alvin, Olave, Taysom.”

Allen went on to give credit to Shaheed, too, adding: “I thought Rashid did some good things from an offensive perspective.” The muffed punt was clearly still on Allen’s mind, but Shaheed is a consistent part of the offensive game plan.

WWL’s Jeff Nowak found a stat that perfectly describes the reliance on those players. Outside of the four mentioned above, everyone else is responsible for 24 yards over the last three weeks. Not 24 yards per game, 24 yards total. Juwan Johnson hasn’t made enough plays at tight end, while guys like A.T. Perry and Bub Means can’t even dress out at wide receiver.

Allen is correct. The Saints need more weapons. It’d be best if it came from the tight ends or another running back. Those positions could help target the middle of the field or provide another running threat. But with someone like Davante Adams expressing interest in a trade to New Orleans, you have to wonder if that’s a real option, too.

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