By Ross Jackson
Major contract extension have been a theme of the NFL offseason.
Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson reset the market. Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love became the highest paid quarterbacks in the league. The New Orleans Saints, however, have played things very differently.
It was no surprise that the Saints were not in position to pay anyone a historic contract this offseason as they looked to balance their books. However, it seemed fairly certain who the next player to get a deal would be: running back Alvin Kamara.
That is, until he wasn’t. Instead, the team extended reliable linebacker Pete Werner with a new three-year deal. Not a bad call at all, just not what was expected.
Some worried that the team’s focus in getting Werner’s deal done would somehow be seen as a slight to Kamara, who has made it abundantly clear that he wants to finish his career in New Orleans. However, teams rarely focus on just one more at a time.
Per SI.com’s Albert Breer, the Saints did have a contract offer in the table for Kamara during training camp. That showed some progress as those negotiations continue. The running back missed he latter half of the team’s camp stint in Irvine, Calif., returning when the team made it back to New Orleans.
Now that camp and the preseason are over and the regular season looms, it seems like an optimal time to wrap up talks and get a deal done. Though of course, contract negotiations are never that simple.
Another big name to watch when it comes to a potential extension is cornerback Paulson Adebo. With a pair of young corners in the building, the Saints could tempt fate and wait to see how the 2024 season goes for the talented corner. But if he performs as well as he did last year, he could quickly prove himself out of the team’s price range.
In previous seasons, the Saints have finalized extensions with players after the season began. Defensive end Carl Granderson received his extension last year after the team’s Week 3 tilt with the Green Bay Packers. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s deal hit news waves after their 2021 opening game against the Packers. In 2020, star linebacker Demario Davis received his extension with the news breaking during the pregame broadcast at the Las Vegas Raiders.
Even if a deal does not get done before kickoff against the Carolina Panthers Week 1, that does not rule a deal for Kamara or Adebo getting done eventually.
