New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara skipped the final practice of the team’s mandatory minicamp due to a contract dispute, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
Kamara attended the rest of the team’s minicamp and attended Thursday’s walkthrough before leaving once practice commenced. The tailback wasn’t present for voluntary organized team activities sessions the past few weeks, though.
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He’s set to enter the fourth year of a five-year, $75 million contract extension he signed with New Orleans in 2020. Kamara carries an $11.8 million salary cap number this season, according to Spotrac.com.
Kamara, a five-time Pro Bowler, is looking to bounce back from what was statically one of the worst seasons of his career. The 28-year-old was suspended for three games after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy and tallied a career-low 1,160 yards from scrimmage in 2023. His 6.2 yards per reception and 3.9 yards per carry averages were the worst and second worst of his career, respectively.
Should the Saints give Kamara a new deal?
It’s been a minute since Kamara stood with the top playmakers in the NFL as the Saints offense hasn’t been the same since Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season. The Saints still flooded him with touches last year (180 carries and 75 receptions in only 13 games).
Below is a glimpse at where Kamara stood last season among running backs using the following metrics (stats via TruMedia):
- Rush success rate (percentage of plays that gain 50 percent or more of yards needed for a first down on first or second down, or gain a first down on third or fourth down)
- Expected points added (EPA) per carry
- Yards per carry
- EPA per carry/target
(Notes: Rankings in parentheses; individual rankings based on a minimum of 100 touches; 56 running backs qualified)
| player | Rush Success% | EPA/Rush | EPA/Tar+Rush |
|---|---|---|---|
46.1 (17) | -0.02 (15) | -0.00 (14) | |
33.0 (55) | -0.23 (54) | -0.26 (53) |
Kamara turns 29 in July. At one point, he stood as the second-highest paid tailback behind only Christian McCaffrey. The San Francisco 49ers runner elevated his play since those days, while Kamara hasn’t followed suit with his 2017 NFL Draft classmate. Add it all up and I’d be surprised if the Saints extended Kamara at this point with his contract structured for a possible release after this season. That’s not to say that Kamara couldn’t be an effective weapon, though. — Larry Holder, NFL senior writer
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(Photo: Stephen Lew / USA Today)