Alvin Kamara’s Agent Says He Is Staying With the Saints. New Orleans Should Trade Him Anyway.
Alvin Kamara’s agent went on the record this week to say his client plans to play for the Saints in 2026. Brad Cicala told NFL Network bluntly that the trade speculation is overstated and that Kamara expects to be in New Orleans this fall.
The Saints should trade him anyway.
The signing of Travis Etienne to a four-year, $52 million deal in free agency changed the math for New Orleans. Etienne is 26. He just had his best season in Jacksonville. He is built for the kind of zone-running attack new coach Kellen Moore wants to install. The Saints also drafted Devin Neal in the third round to add depth.
The running back room is set. Kamara is the odd man out.
None of this is a knock on Kamara as a player. He has been one of the best dual-threat backs of his generation. He is a five-time Pro Bowler. He has nearly 8,000 career rushing yards and over 5,500 receiving yards. He is a future Saints Ring of Honor lock.
The math just does not work. Kamara is 30. He is owed $11.5 million in 2026. The Saints restructured the contract to reduce his guarantees to $3 million, which conveniently makes him easier to trade. That was not an accident.
Adam Schefter has reported that other teams are calling. They are wondering whether the Saints are open to a deal. The Saints are saying publicly that they are not. The behind-the-scenes signals tell a different story.
The Panthers are the most logical fit. Carolina needs depth at running back. They are in the same division as New Orleans, which would be uncomfortable, but the football fit is clean. Other potential landing spots include the Ravens, who have a creative offensive coordinator who could maximize Kamara’s value, and the Cowboys, who are looking for veteran leadership in their backfield.
The return will not be massive. A late-round pick is realistic. A conditional pick with a 2027 second-rounder swap is the upper end of what New Orleans should expect.
The bigger benefit is salary relief. Moving Kamara saves the Saints real money, which they can apply to extensions for younger players or to next year’s draft class. That kind of flexibility matters as Mickey Loomis tries to reshape the roster post-Sean Payton.
The emotional side is what makes this hard. Kamara is one of the most popular Saints players of the last decade. He has been a face of the franchise. Trading him before he is ready to walk away is the kind of move that the New Orleans fanbase will not love.
The front office has to be honest about where the team is. The Saints are rebuilding. The 2026 season is about figuring out which young players are part of the next core. Kamara is not. He is a veteran on the wrong side of his prime in a system that does not need him.
Cicala can say what he wants. The reality is the Saints have already prepared the contract for a move. The right phone call from a contender ends this saga.
Let Kamara win somewhere else. Get value. Move forward.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
