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The New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has made one thing abundantly clear as trade talks heat up ahead of the NFL’s November 4 deadline: he’s not leaving New Orleans unless it’s for a beach chair and a pina colada.
With the Saints sitting at 1-5 under first-year head coach Kellen Moore, speculation has mounted that the franchise might consider moving veteran players to rebuild for the future. Kamara’s name surfaced among potential trade candidates, but the five-time Pro Bowler and franchise rushing leader swiftly shut those rumors down.
“[General manager Mickey Loomis and I] talked about [the trade rumors] and we were looking at each other like the little Spider-Man meme, like, ‘Did you say something? Did I say something?’ I don’t know where that came from,” Kamara told reporters on Wednesday (h/t Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune). “But I don’t want to go anywhere, and I’ve said it countless times. Y’all know that, I think everybody knows that, the fan base knows that. At the end of the day, it’s a business. I don’t go upstairs, I don’t have an office upstairs… so I don’t really sit in those meetings, I don’t know what happens up there. I’ve just got to keep my head down.
“If I was a GM, I guess I would go to the player and say, ‘Hey, we’re trading you, just so you know.’ So if Mickey comes down and says that, I’m going to go drink a pina colada somewhere.”
The 30-year-old reaffirmed his loyalty to New Orleans, the city and franchise he’s represented since being drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. Now in his ninth NFL season, Kamara remains the heartbeat of the Saints. Through six games this season, he has tallied 83 carries for 314 rushing yards and one touchdown, along with 22 receptions for 122 yards.
Over his career, Kamara has become one of the most productive players in franchise history. He holds the all-time team records for rushing yards (7,093), rushing touchdowns (61), and all-purpose yards (12,641). He also ranks second in career receptions (595) and fourth in receiving yards (4,884), remarkable feats for a running back.
Kamara’s current contract runs through the 2026 season, carrying an $11.5 million base salary in 2026 (with $3 million guaranteed) and an $18.6 million cap hit. Releasing him before that season would still cost the team over $18 million in dead cap, making a midseason trade both financially burdensome and strategically unlikely.
While some might argue that Kamara’s best years are behind him, his impact remains significant. Last season, he set a career-high 950 rushing yards, and though he’s not on pace to match that total this year, his adaptability remains the Saints’ ace in the hole on offense.
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