The details are in on Alvin Kamara’s New Orleans Saints contract extension. The Saints saved salary cap space, and Kamara got security in a win-win deal that should please both sides. So how did it work out?
Per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, the Saints did free up a little salary cap space for the rest of the 2024 season — totaling $2.5 million, which puts them under the cap by $4.2 million. That may not be enough to make a big move at next week’s NFL trade deadline but it will prevent cap compliance from being an issue through the rest of the year.
The real savings kick in next year. Kamara was set to count $29 million against the 2025 salary cap, but since that money was not guaranteed he could have been cut to save $25 million. Instead, they re-signed him and set his new 2025 cap number at $10.1 million. That saved $18.9 million against next year’s spending limit while keeping one of the team’s best players in the fold.
What about after that? Kamara is now signed through 2026, where his salary cap hit climbs back up to $18.6 million. A restructure could be possible at that point or they could let him play him out for a relatively clean break in 2027. If Kamara calls it a career at that point his deal would void and leave behind just $8.1 million in dead money. For context, that would be about 3.1% of this year’s salary cap, and the cap is expected to keep rising between now and then.
Paying running backs isn’t exactly in vogue these days, but Kamara is one of the stars whose team hasn’t regretting extending him. The team’s all-time scoring leader is closing in quickly on the franchise rushing title, too, and there’s no telling how high he could climb if things improve around him. What’s important is he’ll get to finish his career where it started and keep helping the Saints as they work to return to the playoffs.
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