NEW ORLEANS — The message directly from Alvin Kamara has been clear for a while now. He wants to spend his career as a member of the New Orleans Saints. His extension on Tuesday makes that a real possibility.
Kamara and the black and gold agreeing to a two-year, $25.5 million extension, that will keep him in contract through 2026.
In the deal, $22 million is fully guaranteed, according to the NFL. Kamara is a two-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, and the current face of the franchise. And the money reflects that moving forward.
WWL Louisiana's Seth Lewis talks more with Locked On Saints podcast host Ross Jackson on what the deal means for the team.
Seth: This deal with Alvin Kamara finally gets done. What's your biggest takeaway from the extension?
Ross: I think my biggest takeaway is that it's finally finished. This is a deal that the New Orleans Saints should've gotten done all the way back during training camp. I think that the real big takeaway here is that
Alvin Kamara has already shown that he has no intention of quitting on this team. That was evident when he pursued the contract extension, but didn't get it. Played through broken ribs, played through a hip injury, played through more injuries.
He scored four touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season, and now the New Orleans Saints return that with a pretty big commitment that they have now, no intention of quitting on him either.
I think that's a massive statement from New Orleans, who could've looked at Alvin Kamara as a potential trade piece after their five-game losing streak. Instead, they stand by him and show that they have a real intent to continue to try to compete this season.
Seth: They definitely show that. It also shows that when this offense was at full or even close to full strength, Kamara looked like the pro bowler that Who Dat fans fell in love with. Do you believe that was part of the motivation to get this deal done now versus the off-season?
Ross: Yeah. It could've been for sure. This offensive line has been kind of hampered with, really decimated with injury. Particularly over on the interior. Now they're starting to get healthy.
They're getting back to the points where they were early on at the beginning of the season, where he was at his most effective in Klint Kubiak's new wide-zone run scheme that he brings to New Orleans. There's the opportunity to get some of that interior offensive line back.
This is a good time to get this done, put any distractions and question marks behind you. And instead, start to look ahead for the New Orleans Saints and Alvin Kamara as they try to rebound and save this season.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.