The New Orleans Saints officially have a distraction on their hands.
On the final day of mandatory minicamp, one specific veteran was not present: running back Alvin Kamara. And, his absence was contract-related. For some reason, the soon-to-be 29-year-old running back has it in his head that he deserves either more money in 2024 or a new deal, altogether.
He's due $10.7 million this coming season, but the number jumps to $25 million in 2025. However, the Saints will likely cut him before that goes into effect. So, Kamara likely wants more money this season, for starters.
Now, if the Saints opt to try and trade the star running back rather than grant his request for more money, could they get anything substantial in return?
Saints fans would be fairly disappointed with the following realistic trade returns in an Alvin Kamara deal
The first team that makes sense for Kamara is the New York Giants, who addressed the departure of Saquon Barkley by signing veteran Devin Singletary. While Singletary came on for the Houston Texans last year, that was the first real sign of life we've seen from him since entering the NFL.
Because the Giants do not have a fifth or sixth-round pick in 2025, the Saints would have to settle for something the following year. Now, considering two young, former first-round quarterbacks like Mac Jones and Justin Fields went for sixth-round picks (Fields could turn into a fourth) I don't see it very likely that an aging running back fetches more.
Kamara would give the Giants a similar talent to Barkley, whom they lost to a division rival over in Philly. But, Kamara might just be a one-year rental (assuming the money gets worked out) and New York wouldn't be looking at him as a long-term solution.
Next up, we stay in the NFC East and look at the Dallas Cowboys as a potential suitor. Dallas failed to address the departure of Tony Pollard and, in the end, wound up bringing back Ezekiel Elliott, who happens to be the same age as Kamara.
If the Cowboys don't want to fully depend on Elliott and instead ensure he stays fresh, they could pair him with Kamara and give the offense a strong tandem.
This one is pretty interesting because it doesn't involve any picks, just players. The Cowboys get a starting running back so that they don't have to rely on Elliott, and if they so choose, can use both he and Kamara as a one-two punch.
Meanwhile, the Saints get a proven wide receiver to step in next to Chris Olave, taking some pressure off Rashid Shaheed and allowing the speedster to fall back into a comfortable WR3 role. Cooks still has plenty left in the tank and would be, quite frankly, exactly what this passing game needs. Derek Carr needs someone like Cooks, who can take a load off Olave and give the offense another reliable option in the passing game.
Finally, we come to the Las Vegas Raiders, who haven't exactly gone out of their way to replace Josh Jacobs after the veteran left for Green Bay. Currently, Las Vegas has Zamir White as the starter, with Alexander Mattison having been signed this offseason to be the backup.
As previously stated, it doesn't seem likely that Kamara would fetch more than a sixth rounder. But, if the Saints wanted to try for a bit higher of a return, maybe something like this would make sense.
In this deal, New Orleans is able to squeeze a fifth-round pick from Vegas while sending Kamara and a seventh rounder back in return.
Kamara immediately slots in as the starter in Las Vegas, and with Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, the offense would be set up with some strong weapons. Whether it's Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew, the Raiders' 2024 starting quarterback would be set up for as much success as possible, assuming health is on everyone's side.
Meanwhile, the Saints get a mid-round pick in exchange for getting that contract off the books and being able to move forward.