JACKSON: Despite contract issues, Kamara carries the load for Saints

By Ross Jackson

It isn’t very often that a player who fought for a contract extension that he did not receive turns in a remarkable start to the season. ‘

Alvin Kamara has.

The eighth-year back has produced over 100 yards from scrimmage in each of the Saints’ four games to start the season. Unfortunately, the team has reciprocated his performances with miscues, self-inflicted wounds and a costly two-game losing streak.

Kamara and the Saints steamrolled through the season’s first two weeks. New Orleans scored 91 points in drubbing of Carolina and Dallas. But it turns out that the team was just on its way to a delayed stumbling out of the gate. The Saints have now dropped two regrettable games including a Week 4 loss to the Atlanta Falcons wherein New Orleans spotted their division rival 14 points on a pair of costly errors. 

Meanwhile, Kamara has been running his heart out. He has piled on more than 20 touches in each game and has run for just over 90 yards per game. He has contributed in the passing game, picked up blitzes in the backfield and played through broken ribs in the process. He has been the lifeblood of the Saints’ offense, all despite not getting the future commitment he so diligently pursued over the offseason.

In a league where players pop up with mystery injuries, demand trades and take to social media to air their grievances when things don’t go their way, Kamara just shows up and produces.

Going into Week 4, Kamara led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 417 and added another 119 on Sunday. He has six total touchdowns already this season, matching his entire 2023 total just four games in. Anyone that thought Kamara was no longer an explosive playmaker has been proven wrong. 

It is disappointing to see the Saints end up with a pair of consecutive losses despite Kamara’s performances. And it isn’t just Kamara. Aside from a fluke pick-6 off of a tipped pass that was intended to be a dirted screen attempt, quarterback Derek Carr has been reliable and productive. Wide receiver Chris Olave has turned in three-straight games of more than 80 receiving yards while consistently helping to convert pivotal third downs. Olave, almost as much as Kamara, has played through injury to provide outstanding production.

The unfortunate truth is that the Saints’ standout individual performances cannot overcome the team’s mistake-riddled last couple of weeks. The Saints must figure out how to better manage adversity in order to get back to their winning ways. As injuries pile up and the team stands in its own way, things are only going to get darker and darker, worse and worse. Kamara doesn’t deserve that. What he does deserve, however, is that extension and future guarantees. 

If anyone doubts that, they are turning a blind eye to what has been a strong start to the season. It is unlikely that any deal will get done now that the season has gotten started. The NFL has a bad habit of running running backs into the ground in the final year of their deals. Hopefully that will not be the case with Kamara.

It would be an uncharacteristic move by New Orleans to go that route. But if the Saints and Kamara wait until the offseason to re-engage contract conversations, New Orleans may end up paying a pretty penny more than they were hoping.