Saints’ Alvin Kamara holding out of practice as contract negotiations continue
In a surprising turn of events, New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara missed his third consecutive, unexcused practice on Monday.
Originally, Alvin Kamara was participating in training camp for the New Orleans Saints but is seemingly trying to make a late push at getting a contract extension prior to the start of the 2020 regular season.
Kamara, 25, is set to make 2.133 million dollars in the final year of his rookie contract. While the two may not be related, Kamara hasn’t played for the last three practices and all have been labeled unexcused.
Saints' RB Alvin Kamara has had an unexcused absence from training camp the past three days and it is believe to be contract related, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2020
Saints fans certainly can’t blame Kamara for wanting to secure his hard-earned money as he’s easily been one of the top offensive weapons for Drew Brees to rely on in recent years.
Kamara has recorded 2,408 rushing yards, 2,068 receiving yards, and 38 total touchdowns in three years in the New Orleans backfield, and he will likely land a deal similar to the one the Tennessee Titans gave Derrick Henry.
Kamara’s sudden change of heart on his contract situation comes as a surprise as he was very vocal about just wanting to play football and let the contract extension handle itself. The three-time Pro Bowler mentioned that he didn’t want to know about anything related to the contract unless they were close to a new deal.
“It’s never been something … like I didn’t come in [to the NFL] thinking about like, ‘Ooh, I can’t wait ’til I get a contract.’ It’s like, ‘I’m playing, and when that comes, it’s gonna be well deserved and it’s gonna be perfect timing for it.’ It’s just not something that’s at the forefront of my day. It’s not something I wake up thinking about,” Kamara said according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett.
Kamara’s decision to hold out could come as a result of the two sides being close to wrapping up a new deal or it could mean the two sides are beginning to social distance themselves from reaching a new agreement.
Nonetheless, the Saints are certainly eager to get Kamara back on the field and I’m sure Kamara is eager to resume football activities as well. In the meantime, Latavius Murray has taken over starting running back duties with Ty Montgomery, Dwayne Washington, and Tony Jones Jr. all competing for a roster spot behind him.
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Hopefully, this situation will be worked out before the Saints are set to play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 13th.