Alvin Kamara loyalty to Saints tested by Sean Payton reunion

Alvin Kamara has publicly stated he’d rather retire than play for another team. All that could change if that team was led by former New Orleans Saints now Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. 

The Saints struggle. Alvin Kamara is placed on the hypothetical trade block for media analysts. It's a cycle that's been going on for a few years at this point. It's not unique to the Saints or Kamara. This cycle occurs for many talented players who analysts believe can help bolster a playoff team.

Count Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox in that number. This time, he gives a unique pairing. Sending Kamara to the Broncos could ultimately be a move all parties involved advocate for. 

A reunion with Sean Payton may be enough to change Alvin Kamara's tune

It's a compliment to Kamara that he's still being put in these conversations this late in his career, if you want to look at it that way, but these conversations are just fantasy football without the points. It's just a way to make the rich richer. If there was one thing that could turn that fantasy into reality, it would be the X-Factor that is Sean Payton.

Trades are a two way street. The Saints don't seem overly incentivized to ship Kamara away, and he seems equally opposed to the idea. Kamara has maintained that he'd rather retire than play somewhere else. That's likely true, but the chance to reunite with his former head coach could be enough to make Kamara more open to idea of having a new home. 

Kamara saw his most success with Payton at the helm. As an offensive genius, it makes sense that Payton would maximize Kamara. The years afterwards have been filled with a puzzling usage of the dynamic running back. Things were better under Kellen Moore until the injury bug hit. 

The love Kamara and Payton have for each other is plain to see anytime they interact. When Payton returned to New Orleans in 2024, that was the most Kamara smiled all year. More than just the production, the relationship could be enough to entice Kamara. 

Most players don’t want to leave a place because it feels so much like home. There’s so many relationships built over the course of 9 years. One of the stronger ways to pull a player away is with another deep relationship. The Saints may even be more open to the deal knowing Payton is the coach. 

The Saints would be sending Kamara to a team much closer to the Super Bowl and to a system he has familiarity with. The pairing of those two aspects create a very advantageous landing spot for Kamara. It would the perfect landing spot for the Saints to send the running back.