A month after skipping the end of mandatory minicamp for what his agent called a contract-related issue, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara reported Tuesday for the start of training camp.
Kamara, 28, has two seasons left on a five-year contract extension he signed in 2020 and remains one of the NFL's highest paid at his position, but there isn't much guaranteed money left on his deal. The Saints, for example, could release the Pro Bowler after 2024 and save close to $19 million, per Over the Cap.
The running back had a simple reason why he reported. In his words, he's not "stupid" and doesn't want to be fined.
"I ain't stupid," Kamara said Wednesday. "I ain't gonna give the money up. I'm trying to get some money, right? I was gonna be here. ... This happens all across the league. It's happened here. It's happened everywhere. People trying to get contracts, trying to get paid. I'll 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're just having conversations about compensation. … I'm not that guy. I'm for the team. So I'm here, I'm doing what I've got to do. I'm working."
We can expect Kamara to keep showing up, as he says he'll practice and play, even if there's "no commitment to years after."
Despite Kamara reporting to camp, the two sides don't appear close to a new deal, NFL Media reports. Kamara says there hasn't been too many "really meaningful" conversations regarding a new deal.
For now, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year is due $18.5 million in 2024, and still averages more per-year earnings than any running back except for San Francisco 49ers centerpiece Christian McCaffrey. The latter just signed a new contract this offseason that makes him the top earner at the position.
Kamara has been one of the league's most dynamic dual threats when healthy, securing at least 80 receptions in each of his first four seasons. He's missed multiple games due to injury or suspension in four of the last five years, however, and averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry in 2023.
