New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara denied rumors that he requested a trade on Saturday.
Kamara responded to a post on X that claimed he had “formally requested a trade,” noting that the information was “incorrect.”
The 29-year-old veteran also called the rumors “a lie” in another post and suggested he was on his way to watch his alma mater, Tennessee, face Alabama in a key SEC home game on Saturday:
Kamara later doubled down on his insistence that he has not asked for a trade, and he even agreed with the notion that he would like to spend the rest of his career in New Orleans.
Trade speculation began after Kamara had his worst game of the season Thursday night, rushing for just 10 yards on seven carries and catching six passes for 14 yards in the Saints’ 33-10 home loss to the Denver Broncos.
Kamara got off to a spectacular start this season, rushing for 362 yards and five touchdowns, while catching 17 passes for 174 yards and one score over the first four games. That included 180 total yards and four touchdowns in a 44-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
Over the past three weeks, however, Kamara has rushed for only 76 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries to go along with 17 receptions for 78 yards.
The Saints had the best offense in the league through two weeks under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but after a 2-0 start, they have lost five in a row, and they are averaging only 17.2 points per game during their losing streak.
Of course, veteran quarterback Derek Carr missing each of the past two games due to injury has severely hurt the offense, as rookie fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler has started the past two contests.
Kamara has long been one of the most versatile and productive running backs in the NFL, earning five Pro Bowl selections during his eight-year career.
The Saints rewarded him with a five-year, $75 million contract in 2020, which is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.
Should the Saints continue to struggle and fall out of the playoff race, trading Kamara could be something the organization considers regardless of whether he wants to be traded or not.
The fact that he only has about a year and a half left on his deal could make him easier to move, but per Spotrac, Kamara will have a salary cap hit of over $29 million next season, which may be a deterrent.
Although his past three games have been a struggle, Kamara showed over the first month of the season that he still has the ability to be among the top running backs in the NFL.
With 690 total yards and seven touchdowns through seven games, Kamara is still on pace for one of the best seasons of his career, and undoubtedly his best since a 1,688-yard and 21-touchdown outburst in 2020.
That type of production could prove attractive to a team in need of some running back help, but Kamara’s comments suggest he is not pushing to get moved ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
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