For a moment, it appeared that the New Orleans Saints and Alvin Kamara could be on the verge of a breakup. Kamara wanted to get paid by the Saints, and an unexcused absence from camp at the end of August mixed with a report that the team was “open to trading” him made it seem like something could be on the horizon.
However, cooler heads ended up prevailing between the team and the player, and as a result, a report on Tuesday from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated that a deal to keep Kamara in The Big Easy was coming. Fast forward to Saturday afternoon and the deal was finished, one that will compensate the Pro Bowl back handsomely.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Kamara and the Saints agreed to a five-year extension that will give him $75 million and $15 million in guaranteed money. ESPN confirmed the particulars of this deal, which is tied for the second-highest average annual value for a running back behind only Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers.
Sources: The #Saints & star RB Alvin Kamara have reached an agreement on a huge 5-year contract extension worth $75M in new money. He gets $77.133M overall and a $15M signing bonus. Kamara cashes in. Agent Damarius Bilbo of Klutch Sports did the deal. 💰 💰 💰
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2020
Kamara’s ability to do a little bit of everything for the Saints is a huge piece to their puzzle. Last season, the former University of Tennessee standout ran for 797 yards with five touchdowns and caught 81 balls for 533 yards and a score.
