By Mike Detillier
One of the most talked about offseason topics for the New Orleans Saints this year has been about the future of halfback Alvin Kamara.
Kamara is in the final year of his original contract when the New Orleans Saints selected him in the second-round in 2017.
Kamara has been a vital cog in Sean Payton’s offense as both a runner and receiver.
The issue is how much are the Saints willing to pay Kamara on a long-term deal knowing the team has potential deals to be done in the near future with linebacker Demario Davis, the best right tackle in pro football in Ryan Ramczyk, one of the best young cover cornerbacks in the league in Marshon Lattimore and a promising defensive tackle in Sheldon Rankins, who has had injuries each of the past two seasons.
There is no doubt that the halfback position in the NFL has been devalued and it shows up big on draft day.
In the 2019 NFL draft, there was only one running back selected in Alabama’s Josh Jacobs, who the Oakland Raiders selected in the first-round. Penn State halfback Miles Sanders, who the Philadelphia Eagles selected in the second-round, was the only halfback selected in the second round in 2019.
In the 2020 NFL draft, there was only one running back — LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire of the Kansas City Chiefs — selected in the first-round, with D’Andre Swift (Detroit Lions), Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), Cam Akers (Los Angeles Rams), J.K. Dobbins (Baltimore Ravens) and A.J. Dillon (Green Bay Packers) going in the second round this spring.
In April, the Carolina Panthers gave halfback Christian McCaffrey a 4-year contract extension worth $64 million dollars.
McCaffrey is the only player in NFL history with at least 2,500 yards receiving and rushing in his first three seasons. He has rushed for 2,920 yards, caught 303 passes for 2,523 yards and scored 39 touchdowns since the Carolina Panthers selected him in the first-round in 2017.
For Kamara in the same span, he has rushed for 2,408 yards, caught 243 passes for 2,068 yards and scored 37 touchdowns since the Saints selected him in the third-round in 2017.
One AFC general manager gave me his take on what to look for in a possible new deal with Kamara and the Saints.
“First of all Alvin (Kamara), like McCaffrey, is much more than a running back, he’s the Saints second best option as a receiver,” the AFC general manager said. “Sean Payton has done a great job piecing together plays and a scheme that gives Kamara the best chance to succeed in this business and that’s important. Sean (Payton) wasn’t trying to put the round peg in the square hole with him and despite obviously being banged up last year Kamara was still effective.
“And Alvin Kamara is still a young player (24 years old and will turn 25 on July 25) and looking at his background he doesn’t have a lot of football thread off the tires in college at Alabama, Hutchinson Community College and then alternating time at Tennessee. His youth and his effectiveness on the pro level will get him a huge deal, and I strongly suspect it will happen in New Orleans, but he won’t get the same money McCaffrey got. It will come up smaller than the $64 million over 4 years that McCaffrey got, but it will average out over $13 million a year. The key to a new deal will be the upfront signing bonus and how it is distributed. You probably won’t ever hear me say this about another position in the NFL, but it may be a while before McCaffrey gets his deal overtaken by another halfback. Usually a player is the top paid player at his spot for two weeks and someone eclipses it, but I don’t see that happening with the deal the Panthers gave him. But with Kamara 24 years old and McCaffrey 23 years old youth and their ability to catch the ball so well helped them and will help them get huge deals. The numbers tell you the story on who to pay and who to pass on and age plays a part with that along with the history of injuries on an all-purpose halfback. We all saw how quickly things unraveled for Todd Gurley, David Johnson and DeVonta Freeman once injuries started to diminish their skills.”
Of the running backs rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2019, only 2 (Carlos Hyde and Mark Ingram II) were over 25 years old last season.
– Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans, 25 years old
– Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns, 24 years old
– Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers, 23 years old
– Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys, 24 years old
– Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks, 25 years old
– Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, 22 years old
– Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars, 24 years old
– Josh Jacobs, Los Angeles Raiders, 21 years old
– Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals, 23 years old
– Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings, 24 years old
– Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts, 23 years old
– Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers, 25 years old
– Carlos Hyde, Houston Texans, 29 years old
– Mark Ingram II, Baltimore Ravens, 30 years old
– Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos, 25 years old
– Saquon Barkley, New York Giants, 22 years old
The AFC general manager also spoke about his interest at one time in former Pittsburgh Steelers halfback Le’Veon Bell before he signed up with the New York Jets.
“As an organization we really liked Le’veon and he would have been a great fit for us, and we had lengthy discussions team wise about his injuries and his suspensions, but he was such a force as a runner and a receiver. People forget just how effective he was as a receiver coming out of the backfield, but he had been a heavy duty back for the Steelers and also in college as a runner, receiver and return man at Michigan State. But in 2019 we would be getting Bell at 27 years old. That would be “prime” age time for any other spot, but at halfback that’s another story. So, he signs a 4-year, $52 million dollar deal with $35 million guaranteed with the New York Jets last season. That is probably the type deal that the Saints are looking to do with Alvin (Kamara). Bell in the 3 seasons leading up to his holdout had rushed for 3,115 yards and caught 184 passes. No matter how you cut it that’s a rich deal for a halfback in today’s market.”
Playmakers in the NFL are hard to come by, but it is also financially costly to keep them once you get them.
The Saints want to keep Kamara, but the big question mark will be at what cost.
