IRVINE, Calif — The New Orleans Saints opened Day 1 of the team's 2024 training camp on Crawford Field at UC-Irvine in California on Wednesday.
Some of the biggest talking points surrounded the running backs, including the return of Alvin Kamara as well as the early exit of second-year pro Kendre Miller after suffering what the team said was a hamstring injury early in practice.
Third-year head coach Dennis Allen provided his own blunt assessment of the third-round pick (No. 71 overall) in last year's NFL Draft.
“Look, that’s a player that’s going to have to figure out how to stay healthy because it’s hard to make the team from the training room," Allen said of Miller, who dealt with leg injuries since his days at TCU, including most of his first year with the Saints in which he suffered from a patella sprain, hamstring injury and an ankle sprain throughout his rookie season.
He only played in eight games where he rushed the ball 41 times for 156 yards with a 3.8 average and one touchdown. Receiving he caught 10 passes off 11 targets for 117 yards. Miller's biggest game came in the season finale against Atlanta when he rushed 13 times for 73 yards and scored his lone touchdown of the season, as well as one reception for six yards in the Saints' 48-17 victory over the visiting Falcons.
Miller dealt with leg issues all of last season as a rookie. He missed time with a patella sprain, grade one hamstring sprain, and pedal ankle sprain at different points throughout the season. This led to him only playing in eight games during his rookie year, with only 41 rush attempts and 11 times targeted. He was still recovering from a knee injury when the Saints drafted him out of TCU.
The team did not provide a timeline for Miller's return.
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Following Allen, Kamara wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room when he took to the podium following the first day of practice.
The five-time Pro Bowl running back, who turns 29 on Thursday, was not a lock to attend the opening practice after walking out of the Saints' mandatory minicamp in June over a contract issue.
However, in typical Kamara fashion, he openly shared both his situation and mindset heading into the 2024-25 NFL season.
"I ain't stupid," he quipped when asked about the example he sets for other players on the team by returning in time for the start of camp. "I ain't gonna give the money up. I'm trying to get some money, right?"
Kamara claims he was always going to be at camp and says contract issues are simply a part of the league and no one is to blame.
"It's happened here, it's happened everywhere," Kamara told reporters. "You know, people trying to get contracts, trying to get paid. And I'd be a fool to spite my teammates because of a dispute I'm having with upstairs. I wouldn't even call it a dispute. We [are] just having conversations about compensation. I was going to be here."
When asked about the reason for his early summer walkout, Kamara said it was simply a reaction to a lack of progress on negotiations.
"It just ain't been nothing happening," he explained. ". Like I ain't been no real conversations or I would say worthy conversations of contracts. So, that last day was just me saying, you know, that. I think there was a misconception about 'Oh, well, Alvin didn't say anything about contract, which I never do, really."
Kamara said the two sides have been talking but that nothing meaningful has been discussed. He referred to the conversations as one-sided.
"I'm kind of like, 'Eh, nah!' and so I went to the crib," he admitted.
"I've said it before, I want to be a Saint," Kamara said. "I want to retire here. If I got to play football somewhere else, I'll probably be somewhere with my feet kicked up in Africa somewhere or something like that. But, I want to be a Saint."
When pressed on the issue, Kamara said his situation could be comparable to Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu's contract extensions which included pay cuts.
"Something like that maybe," he explained. "I mean, we didn't even get to the point of really getting anywhere with an extension. It wasn't really in negotiations."
As for Kamara, he said while money matters, he's made a lot of money on and off the field and for him, money doesn't play the deciding factor in the grand scheme of things. And what he is asking, at least in his opinion, is more than reasonable.
"But just for me to set the record straight...I'm not asking for nothing crazy where it's like, 'Oh my gosh, we can't do that.' You know? Well, that's my perception of it," said Kamara.
"Whatever the perception is upstairs with whoever makes those decisions, it's obviously different than what my perception is. So, we just carry on. I got to just do what I do, and I focus on what I got to do."
Check out more clips from Coach Allen and Kamara, as well as post-practice interviews with quarterback Derek Carr, defensive end Cameron Jordan and newly signed wide receiver Kevin Austin, Jr. below:
Dennis Allen, Head Coach
Coach Allen on Miller forced to leave practice early due to hamstring injury
Alvin Kamara, Running Back
Kamara on negotiation status for new contract and desire to retire a Saint
Derek Carr, Quarterback
Carr says he feels more at ease starting Year 2 as Saints QB
Cam Jordan, Defensive End
Cam Jordan says Coach Allen is all in on building a Super Bowl team in New Orleans
Kevin Austin Jr, Wide Receiver
UFL-champion receiver on what he brings to the Saints receiving corps
Play of the Day | Day 1
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