The Alvin Kamara question has loomed, largely unanswered, over much of the New Orleans Saints offseason, and the veteran running back's surprise appearance at OTAs this week only brightened the spotlight on the situation.
Saints officials have been noncommittal as to whether Kamara would be on the roster in 2026, the final year of his contract. Would it require a pay cut? Is a trade on the table? WWL Radio's Deuce McAllister spoke on the subject this week and said that if there was going to be that kind of move, it should've happened by now.
"If you’re going to [push for a pay cut], ... if it’s truly to that point and that’s how you feel about me," McAllister said, referencing Kamara's situation, "I would have hoped that if that’s what you want me to do as a player, is to take a cut, then don’t do it in June or July."
Hear the full interview with Deuce McAllister in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The Saints have had a busy offseason, inking big-money deals for RB Travis Etienne and LG David Edwards, among other moves. Kamara and Etienne have been indicated they would welcome a tandem backfield. Kamara and Etienne practiced together for the first time on Wednesday in Metairie, with Alvin arriving past midnight the night before. The arrival was unannounced and surprised coaches. Kamara typically doesn't participate in the optional OTA sessions and works out on his own.
Kamara downplayed the decision as any sort of statement other than he was a committed member of the team. He told reporters that he had yet to be approached by the team on any type of pay cut and wouldn't address the idea until that happened. Kamara is the franchise's all-time leading rusher, but is coming off his least productive season as a pro and has missed nine games over the past two seasons due to injury.
"At this point we all know what money is available. There’s money available out there," McAllister continued. "Any team can be creative, but at the end of the day I think probably both sides maybe are at fault a little, because this shouldn’t even be a story. This shouldn’t even be something that we’re talking about in June, I’ll put it that way, and so it’s unfortunate that we are, but hopefully there is an answer where both sides are at least pleased. I don’t know if either side will be happy, if that makes sense, but both sides are pleased where you can go out there and this is not a question and you just go play ball.”
MORE FROM DEUCE
On Kamara's impact for this offense
“We know it starts with the quarterback. What helps my quarterback to 1. be comfortable and he can go out there and operate and not be jittery, not be afraid and he has the answers to the test. We know good players help. … So we can say, yes, Alvin is still a good player. Now, is he still maybe elite, you know, in some areas yes. Overall, maybe not so, but he’s still a very, very good player. So we know that. So it comes down to, is it a snap count issue, is it a usage issue, or is it ultimately a health issue. I mean, if you’re going to throw everything in there, and so I think it becomes 1. can we use him, yes. Is he going to be available, yes, I think he will be available. Will we be able to have multiple guys that he plays with. He’s done it before, so we don’t think that will be an issue. You can’t say that you have cap issues because you’ve carried him this far and that’s what I meant by if he was going to take a pay cut then you do it back in March-April and then you go from there. If you can’t agree to it, then you know, you make the move, but at this point, what makes my quarterback better? Is there somebody else out on the market that can come close or even halfway, that you’re gonna get as far as lost production. If you can’t answer that, you know, honestly and truly, then you make it work and then you figure out how can I use him in multiple different ways, but while I still, you know, whether he’s running back, whether he’s a hybrid, whatever that may be, you make it work.”
