Alvin Kamara walked out on the final day of the Saints’ minicamp as part of his effort to secure a new contract. No agreement was reached, but the veteran back has enjoyed a stellar start to the season while putting negotiations on hold.
A deal was within reach at times during the offseason. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network writes, talks on a new pact took place throughout the spring with a resolution appearing to be “close” at points during that process. At issue, to no surprise, was the 2025 season. The final year of Kamara’s deal calls for a non-guaranteed base salary of $22.4MM and an untenable cap hit of just over $29MM. Both team and player have operated on the assumption that year will not play out as it is currently projected to.
New Orleans’ efforts to work out an agreement were aimed to attaining clarity for 2025 (and, no doubt, lowering Kamara’s cap hit in the process). The 29-year-old sought a market-level agreement with respect to guaranteed compensation, a price point which changed as the offseason unfolded. Saquon Barkley landed an Eagles deal averaging over $12.5MM per season; that pact includes $26MM in locked in compensation. Christian McCaffrey then agreed to a 49ers extension and in doing so moved the top of the RB market to $19MM per season.
Kamara sits second at an AAV of $15MM, but that figure is inflated by his projected 2025 earnings. The Barkley and McCaffrey accords, Rapoport notes, altered the nature of negotiations between Kamara and the Saints. The sides were unable to come to terms on a pact including a new figure for 2025 but also years tacked onto that point, resulting in the eventual stalemate.
A strong season would help the five-time Pro Bowler’s chances of landing another lucrative Saints contract in the spring. Kamara racked up 110 scrimmage yards in the season opener, then topped that with a four-touchdown showing in Week 2 which included 180 total yards. New Orleans’ offense has been impressive to date, and remaining a focal point for the unit would increase his leverage during the next round of contract talks.
Kamara is due a $2MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2025 league year, so it would come as no surprise if a new arrangement were to be in place before that point. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the campaign unfolds as it pertains to Kamara’s production after he had a career-low output in 2023. A mutual interest clearly exists between team and player, though, and…