Alvin Kamara strikes new contract with Saints after months of NFL uncertainty

Kamara Saints

After months of uncertainty about his NFL future, Alvin Kamara is staying in the Big Easy.

The Saints' all-time leading rusher is finalizing a reworked deal with New Orleans for the 2026 season, his agent told 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 the outlet.

Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints runs the ball during the second quarter in a game against the Atlanta Falcons. Getty Images

The terms of the contract are not yet clear. Kamara had been on a deal that carried a cap hit of around $10.4 million for 2026.

But his future with the team was in question when they added fellow running back Travis Etienne on a four-year, $48-million contract this offseason after he rushed for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns with Jacksonville last season.

The 30-year-old Kamara did not attend voluntary workouts but made a return for OTAs.

He said throughout the process there was no bad blood" with the organization.

Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints takes part in drills during mandatory minicamp. Getty Images

On my side, I feel no beef or bad blood," Kamara told reporters in June. I'm going to do what I do every year. Working ... I'm going to do what I do every year. I'm going to train and be ready and we'll see what happens."

Head coach Kellen Moore initially avoided questions about Kamara, but eventually said he liked the idea of utilizing both Kamara and Etienne together.

I think both of them have the explosive, elusive ability to play in all three phases, which is beneficial," Moore said in March. I feel like our running back room is a really healthy room right now - with just the depth and the experience and all the guys that are in there."

Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints celebrates scoring his fourth touchdown of the game during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings. Getty Images

Kamara is coming off a season in which he was limited to 11 games due to a knee sprain, putting up career-lows in rushing yards (657) and touchdowns (one). He'd largely been healthy previously, playing in at least 13 games in each of his first eight NFL seasons.

Still, he's a five-time Pro Bowler who has eclipsed 1,400 yards from scrimmage in four different seasons.

The 2017 AP NFL Offensive Rookie told reporters in October that he would rather go drink a pina colada somewhere" than play for a team other than the Saints.

For now, he can hold off on the beverage.