NEW ORLEANS -- Running back Alvin Kamara will play for the Saints in 2026 on a reworked contract, his agent confirmed to NFL Network on Wednesday. "Alvin's goal, and the team's goal, was for him to remain with the Saints and retire a Saint," agent Brad Cicala told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
Details of Kamara's restructured contract weren't immediately known. Kamara was set to make up to $11.5 million in base salary this season, although the Saints renegotiated his contract for salary cap purposes in early March.
In addition, $3 million of that salary became guaranteed last year. In March, the Saints signed former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr.
to a four-year deal worth more than $12 million per year in the first three years of the deal. Etienne's and Kamara's contracts made the running back position expensive in both cash value and cap space for the Saints, with $21 million in cap space devoted to the team's seven running backs -- the most in the NFL before Kamara's revised deal.
Kamara's future was a point of speculation before Etienne's signing and questions about whether the Saints would pay both running backs increased after the new addition. Kamara said during OTAs that he was excited to team up with Etienne after having success playing with Mark Ingram and Latavius Murray earlier in his career.
"We've done it here before. I mean, you saw Mark and I, and then you saw Latavius and I, and I think just having two talented backs, it benefits each back," Kamara said.
"I don't think you have an issue with defenses focusing on one or the other. It's like you got to try to prepare for both.
I mean, it puts them in a dilemma right there ... I think we'll complement each other well.
It's two talented dudes." Kamara addressed rumors of a potential trade in October by saying that he would not want to play anywhere but New Orleans . Kamara's age (he turns 31 before training camp begins later this month) has been one reason for the speculation, but he also is coming off a season in which he had career lows in rushing yards (471), receiving yards (186) and total touchdowns (1).
He finished the past two seasons with injuries. The news of Kamara's restructured contract was first reported by NewOrleans.Football and Terron Armstead on the former Saints offensive tackle's podcast, "The Set," on Wednesday.
"AK is hungry. He's pissed off.
I just talked to him. He's pissed off at the last couple of years and how the narrative has started to change that he can't do this, he can't do that.
He hates that," Armstead said on the podcast . "Because he has only done elite and exceptional work throughout his entire career.
... Alvin Kamara still has a lot of production left in those legs."