After agreeing to a reworked deal, the New Orleans Saints and running back Alvin Kamara are set to move forward together for the 2026 NFL season.
The details of the new agreement show a win-win scenario on both sides. Kamara was set to carry a $10.5 million cap hit for the upcoming season. Now, New Orleans will get some salary cap relief with the new deal.
However, Kamara will also be given incentives that will allow him to maximize his earnings and keep his pay commensurate with his role, should it increase during the season.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints and Kamara have agreed to a reworked deal that carries a base of $6 million.
Immediately, that’s a more than $5 million savings. A great situation for New Orleans, who recently invested an average of $12 million per year in running back Travis Etienne Jr.
For Kamara, it’s a reduction in pay. But he has a chance to raise the floor of that reduction by another $2.5 million by the time the season is over.
Per Rapoport, the running back could boost his deal to $8.5 million with incentives. What the incentives are exactly has not yet been revealed, but typically those agreements are based on either production (rushing yards or touchdowns for instance), availability and end of year team or individual success.
In any case, if Kamara sees a reduced role because of his sharing the backfield with Etienne, the Saints will now no longer be on the hook for a double-digit million-dollar charge.
But if his role increases throughout the season, Kamara will have a chance to grow his earnings in the process.
This is a win-win deal for both sides, with the Saints continuing to improve their salary cap positioning.
