Category: Alvin Kamara

NFL spokesman shares statement on Alvin Kamara situation

An NFL spokesman shared a statement on Alvin Kamara’s legal situation. The Saints should be bracing for a potential suspension:

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We’ve seen some significant movement in Alvin Kamara’s legal proceedings — the New Orleans Saints running back agreed to a plea deal in the Nevada criminal case stemming from his alleged involvement in last year’s beating at a Las Vegas nightclub while reaching an out-of-court settlement with the victim in a Louisiana civil case.

The end of the legal process opens the door for potential NFL discipline, and it sounds like that could come swiftly. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared a statement from the league’s vice president of communications Brian McCarthy, who said “We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review.”

If Kamara had been charged with a felony, as was initially the case, he would be facing a six-game suspension as per the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Because he instead agreed to plead no-contest to a lesser misdemeanor charge, he could be suspended for fewer games. The Saints will hit the road for four of their first six matchups, so they could use his help in hostile environments:

  • Week 1 vs. Tennessee Titans
  • Week 2 at Carolina Panthers
  • Week 3 at Green Bay Packers
  • Week 4 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Week 5 at New England Patriots
  • Week 6 at Houston Texans

Kamara is scheduled to join his teammates for training camp in just two weeks, so hopefully this can get resolved before then. The sooner the Saints know exactly how many games Kamara will be unavailable the more easily they can plan for life without him. They’ve already made significant investments at running back by signing veteran free agent Jamaal Williams and drafting third-round rookie Kendre Miller, but if Kamara is going to be out of action for extensive time they might need to make another move to maintain the depth chart. Stay tuned.

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Alvin Kamara reaches confidential settlement in civil suit, submits written apology

Representing the victim in a civil suit, attorney Tony Buzbee shared a written apology from Alvin Kamara and news of a settlement. Now we wait for an NFL suspension:

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Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee shared an announcement on social media that he reached a confidential settlement in a Louisiana civil lawsuit against New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, having represented the victim in a beating at a Las Vegas nightclub in Feb. 2022. As part of their agreement, Kamara submitted a written apology to the victim, Darnell Greene.

The details of this out-of-court settlement remain unclear, but that should wrap things up as far as the law is concerned. Kamara agreed to a plea deal in Nevada court on a misdemeanor charge, avoiding more serious felony charges but paying out more than $100,000 in medical bills. Now that the criminal and civil suits are concluded and the legal process has wrapped up, the NFL will likely take action in handing down a suspension.

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Alvin Kamara strikes plea deal on misdemeanor charge in Las Vegas court

Alvin Kamara struck a plea deal on a misdemeanor charge in Las Vegas court, will avoid felony charges but may still face suspension:

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As first reported by 8 News Las Vegas’ David Charns and confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, New Orleans Saints running back Kamara agreed to plea no contest on a misdemeanor charge stemming from his alleged involvement in a Feb. 2022 beating in Las Vegas. This means Kamara is no longer facing felony charges in Nevada, nor will he be required to miss time in training camp to attend his previously-scheduled court date.

Instead, Kamara will pay a $500 fine and foot the bill for more than $100,000 in medical bills to the victim, as well as fulfilling 30 hours of community service.

But this isn’t necessarily over. There is still a civil suit against Kamara filed in Louisiana, and now the NFL is likely to take action with affairs in criminal court concluded. The league has suspended players before despite a lack of convictions or charges being dropped and that precedent is still in play for Kamara.

So how much time could he miss during the season? That’s unclear. The NFL’s personal conduct policy says that violations involving “criminal assault or battery” with a felony charge would qualify for a six-game suspension, so that’s likely the higher end of any expected suspension. Three or four games feels more likely, and Kamara can appeal the decision to try and reduce it further, but we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out. At least this is one less distraction for the team to deal with during the offseason.

Update: Kamara agreed to an undisclosed settlement with the victim, Darnell Greene, per Greene’s attorney Tony Buzbee.

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‘That’s not normal’: Derek Carr wowed by Alvin Kamara’s receiving ability

Alvin Kamara’s skills as a receiver wowed Derek Carr, who said after their first practice together: ‘That’s not normal’ | @crissy_froyd

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Whenever a versatile. do-it-all running back is mentioned as a hopeful prospect ahead of the NFL draft, one of the names they’re often compared to is New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara.

And newly signed veteran quarterback Derek Carr, who the team is betting on to make a significant impact in a playoffs or bust campaign, could hardly be more impressed by Kamara in the time he has had to work with him.

“Great teammate, very explosive,” Carr said after his first practice with Kamara at Tuesday’s minicamp. “So smooth on film. But then when you get in person, he ran a couple of routes and I remember I looked at Jake (Haener) today, and I was like, ‘Bro, that’s not normal.”

Kamara has experienced reduced usage as a receiver the last two years (averaging 3.6 and 3.8 receptions per game in 2021 and 2022) compared to when Brees was the quarterback (when he averaged 5.5 receptions per game from 2017 to 2020).

Will he see an uptick with Carr under center? Las Vegas Raiders running backs Josh Jacobs and Ameer Abdullah were targeted 96 times last year; Jacobs and Kenyan Drake were targeted 104 times in 2021. Kamara saw 97 or more targets through each of his first four years in the league, so look for Carr to throw his way often.

It will be interesting to see how things ultimately shake out for both Carr and Kamara as the Saints look to return to their previous heights. After finishing out their most recent season with an overall record of 7-10, 2023 should be a healthier campaign after a plethora of injuries derailed their offense the last two years. Finding a quarterback who can better use the weapons available to him is going to go a long way, but offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. needs to make adjustments as well.

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WATCH: Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr shine in Saints minicamp highlights

WATCH: Alvin Kamara, Derek Carr, and Taysom Hill shine in New Orleans Saints minicamp highlights

That’s what we like to see. The New Orleans Saints put in a solid day’s work at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie on Tuesday, kicking off their three-day minicamp with a spirited practice session.

Highlights from Tuesday’s workout include some impressive footwork from Alvin Kamara and passing acumen not just from Derek Carr, but do-it-all threat Taysom Hill. Here’s a quick look at Tuesday’s takeaways:

B/R says Alvin Kamara is the NFL’s most overrated running back

Bleacher Report says Alvin Kamara is the NFL’s most overrated running back. The New Orleans Saints superstar hasn’t lost a step, but he hasn’t kept up the pace:

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Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport says Alvin Kamara is the NFL’s most overrated running back. It’s a reach to suggest the New Orleans Saints superstar has lost a step, but it’s plainly obvious that he hasn’t kept up the pace he set early in his career. Injuries, age, attrition along the offensive line, and overuse have taken their toll.

Davenport zeroed in on three running backs as the NFL’s most overrated players at the position: Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals), Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers), and Kamara. Here’s some of what Davenport had to say about Kamara’s recent slump:

The last two seasons have been a different story, though. The yardage has still been there—Kamara has yet to come up short of that 1,300-yard mark in the pros. But in each of the past two seasons, he has failed to exceed four yards a carry. His reception numbers have plummeted as well—after 83 grabs in 2020, he has just 104 catches the past two seasons combined.

Again, those numbers aren’t bad. And part of the slide can be attributed to a change in offensive scheme. But Kamara’s 1,565 career touches appear to be catching up to him. He looks to have lost a step, and he broke just seven tackles all season long last year—32nd among running backs.

Kamara has never been a big-play threat in the conventional sense, lacking the extra gear to pull away from defenders in the open field. He averaged 25.5 carries of 10-plus yards through his first four years with the Saints, and he’s had 21 and 20 such gains on the ground in the last two seasons. Remember, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds, not 4.39 like Jonathan Taylor (50 carries for 10-plus yards in 2021). He’s never been put in the same conversation surrounding the best runners like Taylor, Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb, and even Christian McCaffrey or Josh Jacobs.

What has always set Kamara apart was his value on passing downs, running routes as well as any wide receiver around the league and easily catching the ball when it’s thrown his way. But his usage in that role has changed and diminished as of late without Drew Brees at quarterback. Jameis Winston struggled with the timing and accuracy on those passes. Andy Dalton was a little more efficient but he still isn’t someone who should have attempted 378 passes last year. That’s twice as many passes as Trevor Siemian threw a year earlier, and his version of the offense was even worse. As Kamara’s presence in the rushing attack has grown, his usage on passing downs has changed and decreased, and his overall effectiveness has gone with it.

Hopefully the arrival of Derek Carr will do a lot to reestablish Kamara’s game. He linked up often with Jacobs the last few years, completing 54 and 53 passes, so this is an element of the offense he’s well-prepared to develop. If he can help Kamara become more of an asset on passing downs like we’ve seen before, that’s going to be massive for the offense as a whole. Having improved depth in Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller will help, but when he’s available Kamara is going to be the focal point of the backfield. Hopefully he makes the most of those opportunities to put this chatter about who’s overrated and who isn’t to bed.

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Rookie Saints RB Kendre Miller eager to put pressure on Alvin Kamara

Kendre Miller isn’t letting up. The rookie Saints running back is eager to put pressure on Alvin Kamara in training camp just like he did Zach Evans at TCU:

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Competition is nothing new to Kendre Miller. He arrived at TCU as a three-star recruit from Mount Enterprise, a small Texas town of a couple hundred people sitting more than an hour’s drive away from Shreveport. Initially expected to back up Zach Evans, the five-star prospect who impressed everyone in the big city in Houston, Miller instead matched Evans stride for stride and after two years together Evans bowed out to enter the transfer portal.

Now the stakes are even higher. Having won the starting job at TCU, Miller now has sights set on winning the top spot with the New Orleans Saints. That’s easier said than done, but he’s confident he can supplant Alvin Kamara sooner rather than later.

“How they use (Kamara) is kind of unique, and watching film every day, we watch a bunch of clips of him,” Miller told John DeShazier for the team’s website. “How they use him in the pass game, that’s pretty cool. I feel like I can step in and pretty much do the same thing.”

Miller knows he’ll need to develop as an asset on passing downs to take Kamara’s spot — he says the Saints coaches have him putting in time with the Jugs machine and doing drills catching rapid-fire tennis balls, and he’s eager to work on refining his footwork once doctors give him the go-ahead. A meniscus injury knocked him out of TCU’s national championship bid, and the Saints aren’t taking any chances by rushing him back to action.

So this will certainly be a competition to watch closely in training camp. The Saints invested a lot of resources in upgrading their running backs depth chart this offseason by drafting Miller in the third round and signing Jamaal Williams to a sizable free agent contract. Kamara won’t be available for the start of camp while attending court dates in Las Vegas, and any league discipline that follows legal proceedings will only sideline him for more time and give Miller more opportunities.

There’s a real possibility that Kamara returns to a reduced role with Miller and Williams established as an already-solid one-two punch. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Words are one thing. Actions are another. Let’s see if Miller can back it up over the summer.

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Top NFL draft RB Jahmyr Gibbs compared to Saints star Alvin Kamara

Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs was compared to Saints star Alvin Kamara in Touchdown Wire’s breakdown of the 50 top NFL draft prospects:

We aren’t exactly breaking new ground here, but with the 2023 NFL draft just days away, it does serve to drive the point home. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar drew up pro comparisons for his top 50 prospects in the upcoming draft class, and he sees a lot of Alvin Kamara in one of them. Here’s what he had to say of former Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs in comparison to the New Orleans Saints superstar:

It’s the obvious comparison, it’s the one everybody is using, and while I could try to be cute and go elsewhere, it just makes too much sense. Selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2017 draft, Kamara was the ideal lightning/satellite back in Sean Payton’s offense. Payton helped to force the advent of the base nickel defense by moving Reggie Bush from the backfield to the slot, Kamara was a furtherance of that paradigm, and in a lot of ways, Gibbs is the next step in the progression — or, at the very least, a very good copy of the original.

Gibbs is projected to be picked either late in the first round or early in the second frame, and the Saints are scheduled to pick in both spots (at Nos. 29 and 40 overall). New Orleans needs to continue improving depth at running back after they struggled to run the ball at times last season, and with Kamara expected to miss time with a suspension in the fall.

It’s very possible that the Saints like Gibbs enough to pick him as a temporary replacement and heir-apparent for Kamara, in which case this comparison looks like it’s right on the money. Like Kamara, Gibbs is a dynamic weapon who can run the ball and make plays as a receiver all over the field. But the comparison begins to fray when you look at their athletic testing results. Gibbs is much faster in a straight line but he’s also 15 pounds lighter than Kamara, who outperformed him in the vertical jump by a wide margin (and Gibbs didn’t complete his agility drills, where Kamara excelled).

Every prospect is their own person with their own goals and standards to satisfy, but you have to think Gibbs would be thrilled to experience as much pro success as Kamara has to this point in his career. We’ll find out very soon what the NFL has in store for him.

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Alvin Kamara pleads not guilty in Las Vegas court; trial scheduled during Saints training camp

Alvin Kamara pled not guilty on all charges in Las Vegas court, but his trial has been scheduled during New Orleans Saints training camp:

We’re going to have to watch this subplot a while longer. Alvin Kamara and three other men pleaded not guilty to all charges in a battery case in Las Vegas on Thursday, and the trial was scheduled for this summer — during New Orleans Saints training camp.

Kamara’s attorney attempted to schedule it for June but was unable to find a trial date that worked for all parties. He and three others were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit battery and battery resulting in substantial bodily harm in a February 2022 beating outside a Las Vegas nightclub.

Kamara is scheduled to be back in court on July 31. Last year, Saints rookies reported for camp on July 19 with veterans like Kamara arriving a few days later, and their first team practice began on July 27. Practices open to fans started on July 30. That’s a typical schedule for New Orleans, so Kamara is going to miss some time during training camp dealing with his legal issues.

And an NFL suspension will likely follow regardless of the outcome. The league has a precedent of sidelining players for about six games whether or not they have been found guilty; violent charges like this are still a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. The Saints need to make moves at running back no matter Kamara’s availability, and being without him early in training camp and possibly for a month or more in the regular season gives any new additions plenty of time to make a good impression.

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Video from Las Vegas brawl allegedly involving Alvin Kamara, 3 others

Video emerged from a Las Vegas brawl allegedly involving Alvin Kamara and three others in an ongoing battery case

Surveillance video has emerged from a Las Vegas brawl allegedly involving Alvin Kamara in an ongoing battery case, per 8 News’ David Chairns. Kamara’s next court date is scheduled for March 2 after he and three others were indicted last week by a grand jury. Kamara is also facing a civil suit  from the victim seeking $10 million in damages in New Orleans.

This isn’t a new video, but it is much cleaner and easier to follow than the grainy copy shared online in the past.

Kamara will likely be suspended six games as a violation of the NFL personal conduct policy regardless of whether he is found guilty or not; that’s the precedent the league has set in the past. But no discipline will be handed down until after the legal process has concluded. Either way, the Saints should be preparing for an extended absence in the fall.

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