The New Orleans Saints had an up-and-down 2023 season that led to a 9-8 finish, along with missing the playoffs for the third season in a row. The hope is the team can get off to a good start in 2024, but the offseason has taken a dramatic turn.
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The team is engaging in its mandatory minicamp, but star running back Alvin Kamara chose to skip the final day of practice. Mike Triplett of neworleans.football initially reported that Kamara and a host of other players did not participate in the camp; the more concerning update came a little later from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and NFL Network, who indicated the running back skipped camp due to contract issues.
According to Rapoport’s post on X, “Just spoke to Alvin Kamara’s agent Brad Cicala, who confirms Kamara’s departure is contract-related.”
Saints head coach Dennis Allen stated that Kamara was part of walkthroughs, but went into the locker room and did not emerge after that. Allen said that he “did not have a chance to talk to him,” about the decision not to attend practice.
Kamara currently has two years left on a five-year, $75 million deal he signed back in 2020. The Saints and Kamara have been attempting to hash out a contract restructure, but that has not yet happened.
As it stands, Kamara is making $15 million per season, but he might be angling for more money since seeing the San Francisco 49ers make running back Christian McCaffrey the highest-paid player at the position. The new two-year extension launches McCaffrey into the $19 million per season range.
McCaffrey’s contract upsetting Kamara is just speculation, but it appears he is not happy with what he’s currently earning. Plenty of players play hardball in contract negotiations during OTAs and mandatory minicamps, but Kamara is now subject to fines if his absence is not excused by the team.
Kamara has been one of the most integral aspects of the Saints’ offense, and has eclipsed 1,000 all-purpose yards in every season he has played in New Orleans. In 2023, Kamara secured 694 rushing yards, five touchdowns, 466 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis will need to figure out a way to keep Kamara with the team in 2024, otherwise, the offense will take a significant hit in terms of production. Training camp will start around the beginning of July for most teams, and the Saints will need to figure out a way to ensure that Kamara is happy and shows up.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
