Alvin Kamara isn't a GM, and he knows that. He also knows he can't control whether the Saints brass opts to trade him at the upcoming deadline -- he also wasn't sure of when the date actually was when he spoke to the media this week.
But he does know what he'll do if and when that happens.
"If I was a GM, I guess I would go to the player and be like ‘hey, we’re trading you, just so you know,’ " Kamara said with a grin. "So, if [GM Mickey Loomis] comes downstairs and say that, I’m gonna go drink a piña colada somewhere.”
It's unclear whether that means he'd the longtime Saints RB would opt to retire whether than play somewhere else, but that's certainly how it sounds. Kamara did refute the NFL Network report that he and Loomis had met to discuss whether he wanted to be traded, but he did confirm his answer on that front. It's the same answer it's always been.
"I don’t know where that came from," Kamara said. "But I think I’ve been vocal enough that ... I don’t want to go anywhere, you know, and I’ve said it countless times. Y’all know that. I think everybody knows that, the fanbase knows that and at the end of the day it’s business."
It's not the first time Kamara, 30, has found his name in such rumors. There was a lot of that buzz a year ago when the veteran running back was looking for a contract and even went so far as to depart early from minicamp. The noise settled down and the team ultimately inked him to a 2-year, $24.5 million extension. Kamara has responded with an effective start to the 2025 season with 314 rushing yards and a touchdown on 83 carries (3.8 ypc) and another 122 yards on 22 receptions.
It would certainly be a shock to the Saints fanbase and culture if Kamara was shipped out of town, but with a 1-5 start and difficult games ahead, it's not hard to see a scenario where the team opts to become sellers and turn some current players into future assets. There are veteran players like Kamara, DE Cam Jordan and LB Demario Davis who might catch the eye of a team looking for depth to make a playoff run. Then there are younger players with more long-term upside such as LB Pete Werner or WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
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The player with the biggest question might be Shaheed, who is in a contract year and could demand a sizeable contract in the offseason. There are also trade possibilities to clear the road for young players. The Saints are already rookies in several key roles, and they've been finding snaps for another in LB Danny Stutsman, with Werner coming off the field for a stretch in Week 6. Third-year RB Kendre Miller has had a healthy start to a season for the first time in his career and has been running well in a timeshare with Kamara.
But it's about more than simply flipping assets away, which former Saints QB Drew Brees broke down on WWL Radio this week.
"I never discount leadership in the locker room, you know, and also just the morale," Brees said. "There’s guys that are just core pieces that I think you want to keep around as long as you possibly can, even if their roles diminish as far as how much they’re playing or productivity or what have you, just because they’re just that important a teammate and a leader, so I think you always have to weigh that."
Kamara agrees, even if it's not something that gets talked about much in the locker room.
"It’s fabric," Kamara told me. "It’s a lot of things that -- there’s a lot of things that are … priceless in a locker room. I think everybody sits at home and they play like GM or owner and they’re like, well, you’ve got to do this, or I don’t care, if anybody wants anything -- if anybody is willing to give anything for any of these players you trade them, blah blah blah, we’re rebuilding, blah blah blah, and I just sit and laugh. Man, like, it’s so much more that goes into like this, this whole thing that you just see on Sunday."
It's true, and those next few Sunday performances could play a major factor in whether more trade conversations end up happening. The Saints maintain they are committed to winning this season, but a 4-5 or 3-6 record at the trade deadline would ring a lot differently than 1-8. The next chance to find those wins will be against the Bears and former head coach Dennis Allen at defensive coordinator.
That game kicks off at noon Soldier Field in Chicago. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.