Saints RB Alvin Kamara is officially back in town, and it’s a bit of a surprise.
The veteran running back reported to the facility on Wednesday ahead of the second OTA practice for the week, the second set of three as they build toward the 2026 regular season. Saints head coach Kellen Moore said the arrival wasn’t expected, but he was glad to see the longtime Saints standout. Kamara has not traditionally been in attendance for the optional workouts, opting instead to train on his own away from the team.
Kamara said, somewhat jokingly, that he was laying in his bed on Tuesday and made the decision to participate.
"I miss New Orleans," Kamara said. "I'm just coming in, checking in, say what's up to the team and everybody. ... It was cool, a good little day. Get a little different stimulus for my training."
Kamara was a full participant in individual drills and spent time chatting with new Saints RB Travis Etienne, the first time they've been on the field together as teammates. Kamara didn't participate in 7-on-7 drills or the full-team walkthrough.
The Saints have largely been noncommittal as to Kamara’s status on the roster as he heads into the final year of his contract and would represent a significant cap hit. Moore did not indicate anything has changed with Kamara’s contract situation at this stage. The Saints spent big in free agency to acquire former Jaguars running back and Louisiana native Travis Etienne. Both Etienne and Kamara have indicated that they would be be excited to operate in a tandem in Moore’s offense.
Kamara said he doesn't have any inside info on his contract situation, but he'd under contract and his plan is to play for the Saints in 2026. At this stage there have been no conversations regarding a potential reworked contract or paycut.
"I think there's a time and a place for everything," Kamara said. "If that conversation comes up, I'll have an answer for you when it comes up."
The Saints have one more OTA practice scheduled for Thursday, then another set of three practices the following week before a mandatory veteran minicamp in mid June.
