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No, the Saints should not cut Alvin Kamara to create cap space

With the New Orleans Saints facing a challenging cap situation, there’s an argument that the team should release running back Alvin Kamara.

By Jaleel Grandberry

New Orleans Saints v Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints v Indianapolis Colts / Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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NFL writers are trying their hardest to separate Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints. First, Bleacher Report proposed a trade where the Saints sent Kamara to the Baltimore Ravens for a seventh-round pick. Now, Matt Okada, in a recent piece for NFL.com, is making the case for New Orleans to release Alvin Kamara as a cap casualty.

That absolutely should not happen. Yes, the Saints will be around $80 million over the cap, but releasing the team’s best player, and one of the most talented players in the league, is not the solution to the team’s cap situation if they want to remain competitive next season.

Alvin Kamara named a possible cap casualty for Saints

In addition to New Orleans needing to get under the cap, Okada’s argument for releasing Alvin Kamara is that the running back is on the decline, highlighting Kamara’s career low of 1,160 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in 2023. Okada says Kamara isn’t the same running back that the Saints extended back in 2020, when he was putting up around 1,600 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns.

With that being the case, Okada sees a world where the Saints cut Alvin Kamara with a post-June 1 designation, creating $11.7 million in cap space for the team.

Regardless of how much cap space the move would open up, it would be a bad decision for New Orleans if the goal is to compete next season. Kamara is still an immensely talented player. His decline in production should be attributed to his role in the offense and the inconsistency of the players around him. Things are expected to change with Klint Kubiak now running the offense, along with the other key hires to the offensive staff.

The only way Alvin Kamara shouldn’t be on the roster for the Saints next season is if the team decides to do a full reset. If New Orleans looks at the roster and the cap situation, and decides it’s time for the team to go back to the drawing board. In that case, a fire sale could be possible. If that’s not the case, the Saints won’t be able to sell that they want to win in 2024 while moving on from Alvin Kamara.

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