Operating as the NFL’s restructure standard bearers for years, the Saints have not touched Alvin Kamara‘s deal this offseason. The veteran running back’s contract, which the team adjusted multiple times since it was finalized in 2020, now looms as one that could generate significant savings for the perennially cap-strapped team come 2025.

No running back has been tied to a deal longer than Kamara, who saw the Bengals ship Joe Mixon (extended in September 2020) to the Texans and the Packers cut Aaron Jones (re-signed in March 2021). The 49ers redid Christian McCaffrey‘s contract this offseason, moving the reigning Offensive Player of the Year off the April 2020 extension that had not been topped. Kamara’s accord still sits second among RBs in terms of AAV, but the former Pro Bowler sees how this process will likely play out.

Kamara left minicamp a day early due to a pursuit of a new deal but reported to training camp on time. Elaborating on his stance Wednesday, the eighth-year RB said (via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell) he is not asking for “anything crazy” terms-wise.

He does not have too much choice in the matter, but the former Sean Payton-era chess piece said (via NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill) he will play on his current contract if the Saints do not agree to adjust it. (Though, when asked to clarify that stance, Kamara was less definitive, per NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson.) The former third-round pick is not holding in, participating fully in New Orleans’ practice Wednesday.

Just ahead of Kamara’s fourth season, the Saints gave him a five-year, $75MM deal but one that included a phony final season — along the lines of the deals Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill would sign two years later — to inflate the AAV. Kamara’s deal no longer contains any guarantees, though as a vested veteran, he would see his 2024 base salary ($10.2MM) lock in just before Week 1. In 2025, however, the Saints could cut Kamara and save $18.9MM. Considering Mickey Loomis‘ operation is again projected to enter its own sector when it comes to cap hell — early OverTheCap projections have New Orleans $88MM-plus over next year, $40MM more than any other team — Kamara’s pact would be a natural place to turn for savings.

Kamara, who will turn 29 on Thursday, has been open to a restructure. The Saints went to that well in 2022 and 2023. Another restructure would put more dead money on future New Orleans caps, stripping the team of rare flexibility. The sides have not made progress here; Kamara confirmed as much today. The Saints will not pay Kamara his $22.4MM base salary in 2025, creating this staredown.

“I want to be a Saint; I want to retire here,” Kamara said, via Johnson. “If I’ve got to play football somewhere else, I’ll probably be somewhere with my feet kicked up in Africa somewhere. I want to be a Saint.”

Being tied to a non-rookie deal for five seasons is fairly rare territory for a modern running back, as Kamara has done well to collect most of the extension’s money. Opening his career with five straight Pro Bowls, Kamara has slowed down. Last year’s 1,160-yard output from scrimmage marked a career-low number, and the ex-Drew Brees sidekick produced the fourth-worst rushing yards over expected number (minus-99) last season. Kamara has missed 10 games — due to injury and his 2023 suspension — since 2021.

Barring a substantial pay-cut agreement for 2025, Kamara is likely going into his final season with the Saints. Battling uphill in his effort to land a new contract, Kamara can attempt to use this season as a bounce-back opportunity for what could be his final notable NFL deal next year.

Alvin Kamara is not satisfied with his contract status, but he will not engage in a hold out during training camp. The Saints running back has reported with the rest of the team’s veterans, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football.

Players not on rookie contracts are subject to $50K in mandatory daily fines if they hold out. As a result, it comes as no surprise Kamara has elected to attend training camp as he continues to seek an a new or reworked deal. He could nevertheless engage in a hold in by declining to participate in on-field work.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old walked out of the final practice during minicamp, a move known to be tied to his financial situation. Kamara has two years remaining on his pact, but his scheduled 2025 compensation includes a non-guaranteed $22.5MM base salary. The coming campaign is therefore – for all intents and purposes – his walk year.

Team and player are not believed to be close to working out an agreement, and if that remains the case through the start of training camp Kamara may very well elect to stay off the field. The five-time Pro Bowler maintained his record of topping 1,100 scrimmage yards each year of his career in 2023 despite missing the first three games of the campaign through suspension. He is positioned to once again handle lead back duties in 2024.

Given the nature of the veteran running back market, though, even a strong season could make it difficult for Kamara to land another lucrative pact. The former third-rounder is open to incentives being added to his current deal – rather than an extension keeping him place beyond 2025. It will be interesting to see if progress is made in the coming days with respect to a resolution being found.

A number of receivers are at risk of skipping out the start of training camps around the NFL in the near future, but they are not alone in that respect. Saints running back Alvin Kamara‘s future is somewhat uncertain given his desire for a new deal.

The five-time Pro Bowler walked out of New Orleans’ final minicamp practice as a sign of his unhappiness with his current situation. He is on the books for two more years, but his 2025 salary ($22.4MM) is not guaranteed and has long been seen as a means of artificially inflating the overall value of his pact. With training camp looming, progress on negotiations will be a key storyline to follow for Kamara and the team.

On that note, traction does not appear to have been gained recently. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football notes team and player have not made notable progress with respect to a contract resolution (video link). Kamara, entering his age-29 season, represents a risky candidate for a new deal from the Saints’ perspective given the age at which running backs tend to drop off in terms of production. The former third-rounder is, though, open to a restructure to his existing pact rather than an extension tacking on several years to his New Orleans tenure.

Despite missing the first three games of the 2023 campaign through suspension, Kamara managed to top 1,100 scrimmage yards and score six total touchdowns. Talks on a new agreement have taken place during the offseason, but Underhill’s latest report echoes earlier ones suggesting nothing is imminent. Considering the state of the running back market (2024 notwithstanding), Kamara could be hard-pressed to land a notable raise on a new or reworked contract.

Several backs quickly found new homes during free agency this spring, and Christian McCaffrey secured a raise on a new 49ers pact. He leads the way in terms of AAV at the position ($19MM), while Kamara remains in second at $15MM. The latter figure will be altered one way or another considering the nature of the 2025 structure, but whether or not that happens in the immediate future remains to be seen. Kamara would be subject to $50K in mandatory daily fines if he engaged in a training camp holdout.

Alvin Kamara departed the Saints’ final day of minicamp early as a result of the unsettled nature of his contract. Two years remain on his current deal, but he is in essence a pending free agent.

Kamara’s scheduled 2025 compensation is $25MM, and it consists of a non-guaranteed base salary of $22.4MM. That final year has long been viewed as one which will not be played out along those lines, and an extension or restructure will all-but assuredly be needed to keep him in the fold beyond this season. The latter route is something Kamara appears to be amenable to.

Reported to be angling for an extension, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted during a recent SportsCenter appearance that the 28-year-old is also open to a restructure (video link). Such an agreement could increase his 2024 earnings (currently slated at $11.8MM) while providing assurances for next year. Unlike many other pacts, though, Kamara’s deal has not been adjusted this offseason by the Saints.

Talks on a resolution have taken place this offseason, but as Fowler confirms the sides are not close to an agreement. The nature of negotiations during the coming weeks will therefore be worth watching closely, as a training camp holdout would leave Kamara subject to $50K in daily fines were he to hold out. The five-time Pro Bowler recorded 1,160 scrimmage yards in 13 games last season, the lowest figure of his career but still a sign of his two-way skillset when on the field.

Lucrative contracts for veteran running backs have generally been a rare occurrence in recent years, although teams acted quickly during the 2024 offseason to make notable backfield additions. Christian McCaffrey also landed a raise on his new 49ers pact, and Kamara could be among those who benefits from a potential domino effect. It will be interesting to see if New Orleans pursues a new round of negotiations on either an extension or a restructure in the near future and how Kamara responds either way.

The NFL’s restructure kingpins, the Saints have not touched Alvin Kamara‘s contract this offseason. Although the team has used the deal for cap savings in the past, the structure of the Pro Bowl running back’s deal points to 2024 serving as his de facto contract year.

Kamara’s five-year, $75MM extension runs through 2025, but the ’25 season features a nonguaranteed $22.4MM base salary that almost definitely will not be paid out. This situation brought a notable development Thursday. Kamara left the Saints’ facility before the team’s minicamp practice, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms the exit came about because of a contract issue.

The sides have engaged in discussions about the deal this offseason, according to Underhill, but they have not made progress toward a solution. The eighth-year back is indeed seeking an extension, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan adds. Kamara, who will turn 29 next month, is attached to a $10.2MM base salary for the 2024 season.

During a rather bleak period for running back value, Kamara became one of the winners. The versatile back locked down a $15MM-per-year deal — albeit with a dummy final year in place to inflate the AAV — just before the 2020 season. In terms of per-year value, that contract matched Ezekiel Elliott‘s for second — behind Christian McCaffrey‘s Panthers-constructed extension — among running backs. Kamara has done well to remain on the pact, but he is now the only NFL RB still attached to a deal he signed in 2020.

The NFL’s eight-figure-per-year RB club sustained hits in recent years. Before bringing back Elliott this offseason, the Cowboys jettisoned his six-year, $90MM deal. The Vikings moved Dalvin Cook‘s five-year, $63MM contract off the books in May 2023. These cuts came during an offseason in which the Packers and Bengals, respectively, gave Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon pay cuts. Following a major knee injury, Nick Chubb accepted a Browns pay cut. Jones, Mixon and Derrick Henry relocated this year and are tied to lower-level deals; though, Mixon still secured eight figures guaranteed on his multiyear Texans pact.

The RB landscape has changed during Kamara’s contract, but unlike the wide receiver market, no value spike has taken place. Kamara’s AAV still sits second — behind McCaffrey’s new two-year, $38MM 49ers extension — though Jonathan Taylor has since signed a three-year, $42MM deal that does not feature a phony final-season number. Only five RBs are now tied to eight-figure AAVs, with one of those deals — Josh Jacobs‘ — containing only $12.5MM guaranteed at signing. Kamara has done well on this contract, though it is not difficult to envision the Saints shedding it from their payroll in 2025.

Kamara, who served a three-game suspension in connection with an assault incident, finished with a career-low 1,160 scrimmage yards last season. Kamara’s minus-99 rushing yards over expected represented the fourth-worst number, per Next Gen Stats, last season. Kamara also ranked in the bottom 10 in RYOE in 2022, when he scored just four touchdowns and fumbled four times. While Kamara served as a central part of the Saints’ success over Drew Brees‘ final four seasons, he has not stood out in the two years since Sean Payton‘s departure.

The Saints can create $25MM in cap savings next year by designating Kamara as a post-June 1 cut, with Duncan adding there is “no way” the Saints keep Kamara on this contract beyond 2024. Going into this season with a Saints-high $18.6MM cap number, Kamara is tied to $29.1MM figure in 2025. The five-time Pro Bowler faces a $17K fine for skipping today’s workout. The focus will now turn toward training camp, as Kamara would face $50K fines for each day missed.