Alvin Kamara did not deny that his uncertain offseason with the New Orleans Saints affected the people around him. But the veteran running back insisted he never allowed the team’s handling of his contract to become personal.
Asked after the Saints’ first training camp practice whether he felt slighted because New Orleans waited so long to resolve his status, Kamara pointed to the more difficult experiences he has endured away from football.
“You know, I really, I’ve been through a lot in my life where it’s kind of hard for me to take s*** personal, honestly,” Kamara said. “As long as you don’t do nothing to me physically or to my family or people I love, it’s really not too much that’s going to piss me off.”
Kamara agreed to a reworked contract in July that will keep him with New Orleans for the 2026 season. His agent, Bradley Cicala, told the Associated Press at the time that Kamara’s goal was to remain with the Saints.
The agreement ended months of speculation created by Kamara’s contract, his injury-shortened 2025 season and the Saints’ addition of Travis Etienne Jr.
Alvin Kamara Discussed Every Possible Saints Scenario
Kamara did not go through the uncertainty alone.
He said he held private conversations with former Saints teammates Mark Ingram and Terron Armstead, as well as current defensive end Cam Jordan. Together, they considered the different ways his situation could unfold.
Kamara’s mother was more openly concerned.
“She was kind of worried and asking me questions every week,” Kamara said. “I’m like, ‘Yo, I don’t know. I’m fine. I’m training.’ She’s just like, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, Mom. I’m OK.’”
Kamara said he emerged from the process feeling better than ever mentally. Rather than trying to predict a trade, release or contract resolution, he continued operating under one assumption.
“I was just like, ‘OK, I’m going to be in New Orleans. I’m going to be in New Orleans,’” Kamara said. “And once something else other than that happens, then we adjust.”
That approach reflects the loyalty Kamara repeatedly emphasized during his media availability. He said remaining with one organization matters because of how he was raised, describing himself as someone with “a different type of loyalty.”
When a reporter asked whether the Saints had shown that same loyalty to him, Kamara offered a pointed answer.
“We got a deal done, so you tell me,” he said.
Kamara’s Saints Role Remains Unsettled
Resolving Kamara’s contract answered the largest question about his immediate future. It did not establish exactly how the Saints will divide their backfield work.
New Orleans signed Etienne after he surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in three of his four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints’ official website identified the workload split between Etienne and Kamara as one of the team’s primary training camp storylines.
Kamara said he is comfortable sharing a backfield, pointing to his successful partnership with Ingram. A rotation can reduce the physical strain on both runners while allowing them to feed off each other’s production.
But Kamara acknowledged that he has not received a defined workload.
“I honestly have no clarity in that because I don’t know what the game plan is with that,” Kamara said. “But I mean, s***, I’m here to work. So, he’s here to work. Same thing with Kendre. Same thing with Devin. Everybody’s, I guess, figuring out roles.”
Kamara played 11 games during an injury-affected 2025 season and recorded career lows in rushing and receiving production. He nevertheless enters 2026 as the Saints’ all-time leading rusher and one of the most accomplished offensive players in franchise history.
His new contract ensures that he will get another opportunity to finish his career where it started. Training camp will determine how large his role remains.
For Kamara, that uncertainty appears much easier to accept than wondering whether he would have a place on the team at all.
“I just feel good,” Kamara said. “I feel energized. I feel refreshed. I’m here to work.”
Alvin Kamara Gets Honest About Saints’ Handling of Contract