Category: Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to earn a new contract with the Saints

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to earn a new contract with the Saints by playing at a high level — while injured. But will his efforts be rewarded?

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to earn a new contract with the New Orleans Saints by playing at a high level — while injured with a couple of broken ribs. But will his efforts be rewarded with a new deal?

They should be, but it’s tough to say if that’s how this story ends. Kamara has done everything the right way throughout this process. He didn’t hold out at training camp or demand a trade to a team willing to pay him what he wants. He’s worked hard and been a good mentor to his younger teammates. His bargained in good faith and made it clear what he wants and why he wants it. And his stats speak for themselves. After four weeks, Kamara leads the league in yards from scrimmage (536), and he’s tied for the most touchdowns scored (6).

It’s just too soon to say whether he’ll get what he’s seeking. Kamara didn’t want these contract talks to become a distraction during the season, so he chose to table them until the spring. And things could look radically different at that time. No running back has stepped up to take touches from him through the first four games. He’s looked exactly as dynamic in Klint Kubiak’s offense as everyone hoped. There’s a very strong likelihood that Kamara will own the team’s rushing yards title by the time he sits back down at the negotiating table.

And that might make it more difficult for the Saints to draw up a fair contract offer. If Mickey Loomis is determined to stand on what he’s already offered, even after a successful season for Kamara, he could make the call to cut Kamara and move on with a younger running back (like Boise State’s Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty). But you hope it doesn’t come to that.

Hope is really what it’s all about. Kamara is hoping his efforts result in a new deal too keep him in New Orleans until he’s finished playing football. Loomis and the Saints are hoping an extension won’t wreck their already-stressed salary cap. Kamara’s strong September has created a lot of hope in Saints fans that he’ll be able to keep it up. We’ll just have to wait and see whether that hope was warranted.

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Alvin Kamara was playing through broken ribs in Week 4 vs. Falcons

Alvin Kamara played through broken ribs in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a shame his efforts weren’t rewarded with a win:

The New Orleans Saints dealt with a litany of injuries both during their Week 4 game with the Atlanta Falcons and prior to the matchup as well. One notable one was Alvin Kamara who was dealing with hip and ribs injuries and was questionable heading into the game. He played through broken ribs, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football and Katherine Terrell of ESPN,  and discussed his mindset in putting his body at risk after the game.

But Kamara isn’t looking for pity. Kamara was asked what he was playing through during this locker room interview as well, saying, “Same thing everybody else playing through, it is what it is, everybody got something, so I don’t know, you gotta go around the locker room and ask everybody what they’re dealing with.”

Then he was asked if he had ever considered not playing this game, and replied: “I mean I was gonna do everything I could do to play, like I said, I was out there, you know so, I didn’t really have any thoughts about not playing, I just had to figure out how I was gonna play, and I figured it out.”

Kamara made it clear that his focus was on the team and that everybody on it is dealing with something, so despite his injury he wanted to be out on the field for them, which he was.

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Report: Saints expect both Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave to play vs. Falcons

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Saints expect both Alvin Kamara (hip/ribs) and Chris Olave (hamstring) to play against the Falcons:

It’s been a rough week for New Orleans Saints injury news. The offensive line is dealing with a host of issues and absences, but several star talents at the skills positions have gotten nicked up, too. Running back Alvin  Kamara was limited in practice this week with hip and  rib problems. Wide receiver Chris Olave pulled up with a hamstring during Friday’s final practice session. They were each listed as questionable for Week 4’s road game with the Atlanta Falcons, but both of them expected to play, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

That’s big news for the New Orleans offense. Kamara accounts for 285 of the team’s 459 rushing yards this season (62.1%). Olave is tied for the team lead with 14 targets through three weeks and Kamara is just behind with 11. They are vital pieces to Klint Kubiak’s unit.

We’ll see what they can manage against a Falcons defense that has held each of its last three opponents to 22 or fewer points and 365 or fewer yards of offense. Hopefully they can play through these injuries and help the team overcome some adversity in a divisional grudge match.

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Alvin Kamara moved up to second among Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara surpassed Deuce McAllister in Week 3 to rank second among the Saints’ all-time rushing yards leaders:

The New Orleans Saints’ 15-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 somewhat overshadowed some of the positive things that had happened, including Tyrann Mathieu tying for second place with his 35th interception among active players. It’s tough to say much was positive for the offense when they only scored a dozen points, but some individuals did pass important milestones.

One of them was Alvin Kamara surpassing Deuce McAllister in career rushing yards with the Saints, moving him up to second behind his old teammate Mark Ingram II. Kamara entered the game trailing McAllister  by 69 rushing yards, and with 87 yards on the ground, he ended the day 18 yards ahead.

Even more impressively, Kamara did this on 53 fewer rushing attempts than McAllister. He has a decent margin remaining to get up to first place, however, with Ingram sitting at exactly 6,500 rushing yards for New Orleans, while Kamara checks in at 6,114. For Kamara to reach Ingram on the same amount of rushing attempts, he would need to average around 5.1 yards per carry on his next 75 attempts, which is pretty unreasonable given his hot start to the season. With only 386 more yards to go, he could feasibly find his way to the top of the list this season however, which is a fun stat to keep an eye on throughout the year.

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Saints may regret waiting on Alvin Kamara’s contract extension

The Saints may regret waiting to shake hands on Alvin Kamara’s contract extension. He’s been an even greater fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense than advertised:

The New Orleans Saints may regret waiting to shake hands on Alvin Kamara’s contract extension. He’s been an even greater fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense than advertised. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted on Sunday morning, Kamara’s offseason push for a new deal went nowhere. He’s since tabled discussions until 2025 and focused on playing his best football.

And you can’t argue  with results. Kamara goes into Week 3 leading the league in scrimmage yards (290) and touchdowns scored (5). Kubiak’s zone-heavy run scheme has opened a lot of lanes for Kamara to work with, and they’re doing a better job getting him the ball in space as a receiver.

So now Kamara is headed into the final year of his contract in 2025, accounting for a staggering $29 million against next year’s salary cap. But  don’t fall for the distractions — the Saints have no intention of paying out the unguaranteed $25 million Kamara is owed next offseason, so no, he isn’t the NFL’s second-highest paid running back. They’ll have the option to cut him and save all $25 million if they choose.

But if Kamara keeps up this pace and has a career year? He just might have the Saints over a barrel. It would be really difficult for Mickey Loomis to justify cutting the fan-favorite focus of his offense (possibly coming off his first 1,000-yard season as a rusher), even if he’s 30. Loomis and Khai Harley are as creative in working around the cap as they come, but we can’t rule out the possibility they could be in a position where they have to pay Kamara  top-dollar.

Hopefully both sides can reach a deal in the spring after Kamara has enjoyed a strong season, leading the Saints back to the playoffs. He’s made it known he wants to finish his career in New Orleans. Let’s hope the Saints don’t end up regretting  not signing Kamara to a new deal this summer when they had the chance.

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Darius Slay has high praise, and a warning, for Saints star Alvin Kamara

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay had high praise for Alvin Kamara, but he warned the Saints’ star not to hurdle him again: ‘Don’t jump over me like that’

The New Orleans Saints have had many breakout players this season, as well as a few who returned to form, none more so than running back Alvin Kamara, who has reverted to his peak form in the new Klint Kubiak offensive scheme.

With the Saints taking on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, veteran cornerback Darius Slay had some high praise for Kamara during his media availability on Thursday, discussing what he thinks of him, as well as one moment he won’t forget from their history.

“He’s nice with it man,” Slay said. “One of the best backs with the best balance I’ve seen in a long time man, he really breaks a lot of tackles. What’s crazy is that I told him don’t ever jump over me again, he jumped over me one time when I was in Detroit his rookie year, he really like, cleared me. So uh, Kamara I know you watching this probably, don’t jump over me like that, I’m (going to) press charges, I swear to god I’m (going to) press charges.”

It’s nice to hear Kamara get his flowers from media and fans, but hearing it from a high-level competitor in Slay, who has been in the league for 11 going on 12 seasons now, is always great. Knowing that his peers see him in the same light many of us do and knowing how difficult it is to truly tackle him, coming from one of the better corners in the league, is pretty interesting to hear.

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Alvin Kamara honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. It’s just the third time he’s won this award:


Here’s some well-deserved recognition for Alvin Kamara. The New Orleans Saints’ star running back has been honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Kamara totaled 180 yards from scrimmage (115 rushing, 65 receiving) with four touchdowns (three runs, one catch).

It’s just the third time he’s won this award. Kamara was previously recognized as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2021 (following an impressive road win over the Seattle Seahawks) and 2020 (after his historic six-touchdown game on Christmas Day). So this will be a much-needed  addition to his trophy case.

Kamara is looking like exactly as great a fit in Klint Kubiak’s system as both the former Pro Bowler and first-year offensive coordinator predicted. He leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (290) through the first two weeks with five total touchdowns scored; Saquon Barkley and James Cook have each scored three times, but nobody else has more than two so far. It’s early, but this is shaping up to be a career resurgence for Kamara.

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Alvin Kamara excelling despite facing second-most loaded boxes

Defenses are selling out to stop Alvin Kamara and it isn’t working anyway. This is a testament to his offensive line:


Here’s an impressive New Orleans Saints stat for you. Alvin Kamara has ran for the sixth-most yards on the ground in the NFL and scored the most touchdowns despite seeing the second-most attempts with eight or more defenders in the box.

Defenses load up the box specifically to stop the run, and it happens 45% of the time when Kamara carries the ball. Everyone knows what the Saints want to do, but this tactic hasn’t been effective in stopping the Kamara.

Why? Taliese Fuaga, Lucas Patrick, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning are five reasons. The impact of the unit is seen through the near three yards before contact per carry against the Carolina Panthers by all Saints running backs.

You don’t beat heavy boxes purely on the strength of your running back. Kamara has phenomenal contact balance, but even with that he can’t consistently beat the odds by himself.

The front line is doing a good job resetting the line of scrimmage and getting to the second level to block linebackers. That’s why he’s been so successful despite running against heavy boxes on nearly half of his attempts.

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Dennis Allen credits the run game for quieting Cowboys’ pass rush

Limiting Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was pivotal. The Saints did it by running the football and avoiding must-pass situations:

Stopping Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence was a key to victory for the New Orleans Saints against the Dallas Cowboys. Their ability to rush the passer is the defense’s greatest strength, yet Derek Carr didn’t see much pressure on Sunday.

Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning did a good job winning that matchup in the pass and run game. Part of stopping the Cowboys unit was running the football. Dennis Allen looked at the diminished impact of Lawrence and Parsons and felt “part of it was we were able to run the football.”

Alvin Kamara caught a touchdown, but his 115 rushing yards were equally as effective in slowing down the pass rush.

“When you’re able to run the ball and you’re able to put yourself in manageable situations, you’re not having to get into a dropback passing mode where they can unleash their pass rush,”  Allen explained.

That’s exactly what they did. The Saints only faced third down on eight occasions in this game. Just four of them were longer than 4 yards. One was a kneel-down and another was when the Saints were running out the clock and keeping the ball on the ground.

This means New Orleans only faced two third downs of more than 4 yards. The Saints were rarely in must-pass situations, and it kept the Cowboys’ best assets from getting active.

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Alvin Kamara on his 57-yard TD catch: ‘It felt like a practice rep’

Alvin Kamara’s 57-yard touchdown was executed so well he compared the play to a practice rep. He gave credit to his Saints teammates and play caller Klint Kubiak:

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara had a monster game against the Dallas Cowboys, and one of his highlights was taking a screen pass from Derek Carr 57 yards for a touchdown. After the game, Kamara reflected on how smoothly that play developed.

The running back began by giving credit to offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for making the call “right on time.” Kamara said that because of the execution by all players involved, from the linemen to the wide receivers, “It felt like a practice rep.”

For Kamara, it was easy. Once the ball was in his hands, all he had to do was run to the end zone. Running over 50 yards with no one getting close to tackling you is a great indication of effective play calling. It was so easy Kamara “didn’t even have to run really.”

The Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer had no answer for Kamara and the Saints offense. That isn’t new for Zimmer. Kamara had arguably the best game of his career versus the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day 2020. That game featured 155 yards on the ground and 6 touchdowns, both career highs for Kamara.

That was the last time Kamara faced Zimmer. That’s 10 touchdowns in the last 2 games against a Zimmer defense. At least one of those touchdowns “felt like a practice rep” to Kamara.

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