The New Orleans Saints had options when it came to Alvin Kamara's NFL future.
They could've let the star RB's contract play out and saw what happened. They could've shopped him on the trade market. Instead they took option No. 3: a 2-year extension worth $24.5 million to keep AK around through the 2026 season. It was the smart play, WWL Radio's Mike Detillier said this week on SportsTalk.
"The Saints don’t have a lot of playmakers," Detillier said. "He's one them."
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What likely made the decision easier for the Saints was how Kamara handled it. He made it clear multiple times he didn't want to play elsewhere. He participated fully in the offseason program despite seeking that new deal while several other NFL stars were holding out. He took on a career-high workload in his age 29 season and played through a broken rib, then a broken hand, then a hip pointer.
Alvin made his statement, then the Saints made theirs.
"They had to rework the contract, but he wanted to stay here," Detillier continued. "I’ve been around long enough, they’ve had guys, things maybe a little bit, not what you want it to be, they want out and they let you know, or they play like they want to go out ... and you’re talking about trade, what are you getting in return for him. You’re not going to get full value. I don’t know that for a fact, but most teams this time of year they’re trying to make a deal for a veteran and they’re trying to get it for a bargain basement price."
The Saints offense, one of the most prolific in the NFL over first two weeks of the season, has fallen on lean times. That's in part due to injury, with several key offensive linemen hurt for multiple weeks, QB Derek Carr out with an oblique injury, Taysom Hill missing multiple games with a rib issue, WR Chris Olave dealing with a concussion and Rashid Shaheed done for the year with a knee injury that required surgery. Some of those players should be returning as early as this week, giving some reason for optimism.
With their star RB locked in, the next step for the Saints will be finding a way to end a five-game skid that is threatening to send the entire 2024 season off the tracks. After a 10-day break following Thursday Night Football, the Saints will seek to do that in L.A. when they hit the road to face the Chargers. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.
