Getty Saints RB Alvin Kamara warming up prior to game against Jaguars.
The offseason action will begin to heat up in the coming weeks now that the Super Bowl has ended, and the Baltimore Ravens could be one of the most active participants. After their 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game the Ravens will be looking to fine tweak a Super Bowl caliber team to get over the hump.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay wrote “5 NFL Trades That Could Help Prevent a Chiefs Super Bowl Three-Peat,” one of which included the Ravens.
Kay’s proposed trade would have the Ravens receive running back Alvin Kamara and send a 2024 seventh round draft pick back to the New Orleans Saints.
“While the five-time Pro Bowler isn’t the superstar that he was earlier in his career, he can create still big plays as both a rusher and pass-catcher out of the backfield,” Kay explained.
That time Alvin Kamara scored 6 Touchdowns on Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas, Y’all. ⚜️
Kamara is 28 years old and has been a high usage RB in the past, but he could be the perfect complimentary piece for the Ravens’ run game.
In the game against the Chiefs, the run game seemingly disappeared and QB Lamar Jackson was asked to air the ball out even though the Ravens only trailed by 10 at any point in the game.
Kay wrote, “Jackson led the team with 54 yards on eight carries in the contest, well outpacing the production from running backs Gus Edwards (three carries for 20 yards) and Justice Hill (three carries for three yards).”
It could be the Ravens did not trust their run game to get it done in that big moment but adding a player of Kamara’s caliber could prevent that next season.
Saints Get Salary Relief by Shipping Off Alvin Kamara
Kamara has been a member of the Saints his whole career and was drafted by them in the third round of the 2017 draft. Kamara won Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Saints and has been a critical part of their offense since he entered the league.
While he has never rushed for 1,000 yards, his ability to catch passes out of the back field have made him an elite weapon. Kamara has 5,829 rushing yards and 4,219 receiving yards for a total of 10,048 scrimmage yards.
Saints, RB Alvin Kamara agree to 5-year, $75M contract extension. (via @RapSheet)
Kamara had a down season by his standards, which included a three-game suspension to start the season. However, according to Kay, “The 28-year-old back would be an ideal buy-low candidate for the Ravens, who could try to capitalize on the Saints’ need to shed salary.”
This need to shed salary is the reason the Ravens would only be trading a seventh-round pick in Kay’s mock trade. Kay writes, “The Saints project to be $82.8 million over next year’s cap, but they could save $11.8 million by trading Kamara after June 1.”
Ravens Would Be Getting Elite Change-of-Pace Option
The Ravens have a championship core so general manager Eric DeCosta needs to fine tune the team with small tweaks. He is limited by his cap situation, so he needs to be creative.
Kay suggests a trade would be possible if, “He’s [Kamara] willing to renegotiate his contract to one more commensurate with his projected usage in Baltimore.”
If Kamara were to take a pay cut, he could fit into the Ravens cap and Kay writes, “The Ravens could deploy him as a third-down and change-of-pace back.”
While Kamara hit a career low in rushing yards at 694, “Kamara could flourish in a lesser role in an offense that maximizes his chances to succeed when he does get on the field,” Kay believes.
The Ravens currently only have Hill and Keaton Mitchell, who is coming off an ACL injury, on the roster for next year. Therefore, “The Ravens need another capable back who can take on some of the workload while changing the game with his presence from time-to-time,” Kay explained.
Adding Kamara not only improves the rushing attack but would give QB Jackson and electric safety valve to escape pressure or if the play breaks down.