Getty New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara posing for the cameras at the Pro Bowl.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara could be facing a six-game suspension stemming from a felony battery charge at the Pro Bowl. The NFL is waiting until all legal proceedings are completed before handing down a penalty, according to Pro Football Talk.
Kamara is the straw that stirs the Saints’ offense, a five-time Pro Bowler who racked up 1,337 total yards and nine touchdowns last season. He is the best player on a team trying to pick up the pieces after losing quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton. He’s also a known hater of the Philadelphia Eagles.
@ProFootballTalk can you tell us when Jesus gon return to earth?
Kamara infamously told Bleacher Report in 2018 that the Saints would have crushed the Eagles if the two teams had met in the NFC Championship Game that year.
“We’d beat the shit out of [the Eagles] cause we was rolling,” Kamara said. “If we won [versus Minnesota], I knew nobody was gonna stop us cause we came all the way back.”
Spilled milk and tears. The Saints couldn’t beat the Minnesota Vikings. Philadelphia beat the Vikings and went on to win the Super Bowl behind Nick Foles. Sorry, Kamara. Team of destiny.
Kamara later back-tracked a bit on his disdain for the Super Bowl champions.
“It’s no disrespect, direct disrespect,” Kamara said. “I didn’t call them a name, a direct name.”
Saints RB Alvin Kamara braces for a suspension of at least six games, eventually, due to a Las Vegas incident occurring on Pro Bowl weekend.
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How Kamara’s Suspension Impacts Eagles in 2022
Kamara’s uncertain suspension in 2022 impacts Philly on multiple levels. There is the possibility he misses the Week 16 matchup between the Saints and Eagles on New Year’s Day at Lincoln Financial Field. That game was already looking like an easy win, but it becomes even less daunting if New Orleans is without its most dangerous weapon.
The Eagles have agreed to trade picks No. 16, 19, and 194 to the Saints in exchange for picks No. 18, 101, 237, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.
Then, there is the issue of accumulating higher draft picks. The Eagles traded the No. 16 pick, No. 19 pick and a 2022 sixth-rounder to the Saints for the No. 18 pick, a 2022 third-rounder, a 2022 seventh-rounder, plus a 2023 first-rounder, and a 2024 second-rounder. That means the Eagles benefit from the Saints losing. No Kamara for six games helps them rise up the draft board in 2023.
“I think we were kind of looking at this year, next year,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said of the trade on April 20, “and the amount of picks that we had in this year’s draft and trying to kind of balance it a little bit for a variety of factors. When you look at having first-round picks and the fifth-year option, having that many guys on the fifth-year option.”
Commanders Star May Start Season on IR
The Washington Commanders could be without star pass rusher Chase Young when they face the Eagles in Week 3. That game is slated for 1 p.m. at FedEx Field in what will likely be referred to as the Carson Wentz Bowl.
Young is recovering from a torn ACL/MCL in his right knee suffered last season and his status remains up in the air. He could start the year on injured reserve, per ESPN’s John Keim.