Alvin Kamara was absent from the first day of organized team activities. We've already discussed why this isn't something to overreact to. Kamara regularly skips OTAs, and just because there's a larger microscope on his future, doesn't mean he was going to change his routine.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton also saw this coming and predicted how much panic each player on his list would cause by skipping OTAs. Kamara registered a six on Moton's panic meter. Not too high, not too low. I'd argue seeing that this is routine, dropping the number slightly would be warranted.
OTAs are voluntary, so you don't want to read too deep into an absence. Nothing genuinely changes in the situation. It's not a sign of Kamara's unhapiness or anything like that. It's simply a player who doesn't show up to OTAs not showing up to OTAs.
Alvin Kamara has the Saints stuck in a bind
Some fans who are confident of Kamara playing for the Saints point to his expressed excitement to play with Travis Etienne. Kamara shut down the notion the two running backs couldn't play together. For his part, Kamara did everything possible to make it clear he wants to be in New Orleans.
Wanting to be in New Orleans and going to be in New Orleans are two different things and unclear answers from Mickey Loomis and Kellen Moore prove the final say isn't completely in Kamara's hands. Moton has one thing that may keep the Saints from moving on from Kamara.
The situation clearly comes down to financials. Kamara is due more money than you'd want to pay your second running back. It may have already tough to pay $10 million to a running back over 30, and it only got tougher once you signed Etienne. Moton pointed out the limited benefits of making Kamara a post June 1 release.
If the Saints do that, they only save $375,000. It's a small amount of saving, so it feels like the best bet is keeping him on the roster. If the Saints cut Kamara, it's purely because they wanted to. The financial savings aren't large enough to use as a reasoning.
That puts the Saints in an uncomfortable position. They're going to ask Kamara to take a pay cut, but he has no reason to actually accept that offer. The savings aren't enough to make cutting him attractive, so they're kind of at his mercy. It makes for an interesting story to monitor, but it also is another reason to expect Kamara in the black & gold.
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