The New Orleans Saints have a lot of questions to answer in the 2024 NFL season. One of those questions involved salary cap space. Right now, the Saints have just over $11 million in cap space available.
Because of this, the team is trying to get creative to create more salary cap space. New Orleans started doing this by restructuring Taysom Hill’s contract. However, Saints RB Alvin Kamara does not seem to be on board to do the same.
Alvin Kamara Leaves Mandatory Minicamp
Earlier this afternoon, it was reported that Alvin Kamara was not in attendance for the Saints’ mandatory minicamp. Following this report, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network revealed the reasoning behind it. After speaking with Kamara’s agent, Brad Cicala, Rapoport discovered that Kamara’s absence was contract-related.
One important note is that while Kamara did not take part in the minicamp, he was around the team. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Kamara took part in a team walkthrough and then left.
Alvin Kamara’s Contract Situation
Kamara’s contract situation is complicated, to say the least. Back in 2020, Kamara received a contract worth $75 million over five years. He still is owed close to $40 million in that contract.
However, the problem here is that the Saints have a rough salary cap situation. Plus, Kamara is still owed over $22 million in base salary for the 2025 season. Due to the contract being so backloaded, the Saints may be forced to release Kamara early if his contract cannot be restructured.
It makes sense for New Orleans to carry this out to the mandatory minicamp. Why is this? Well, cutting Kamara after June 1st gives the team more flexibility.
If the Saints due end up cutting Kamara, they would take about a $17 million dead cap hit. However, cutting Kamara after June 1st allows the team to split this up over two seasons rather than absorbing that entire hit in one season. In other words, the pressure may be on both sides to come up with a compromise sooner rather than later.
New Orleans Saints Moving Forward
No matter how this plays out, the Saints are in a tough position. They will either anger their star running back or perhaps risk losing him entirely. Kamara is 29 years old and is likely approaching the back end of his NFL career.
What has Kamara done so far with the Saints? Well, he has 5,829 rushing yards and 54 rushing touchdowns in seven seasons with New Orleans. If the Saints and Kamara do not come to an agreement, these could be the numbers Kamara ends up with after his time with the Saints has concluded.
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