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Alvin Kamara has been one of the best running backs of the past decade. The New Orleans Saints backfield general has earned an array of accolades since getting drafted into the league in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He is an intelligent rusher, with his talents being recognized by the league and his peers, and he was a Pro Bowler in all five of his NFL seasons.
Alvin Kamara has led the Saints to the playoffs in all but one of his seasons in the league. His injury-plagued 2021 season has been cited as one of the reasons for the Saints missing the postseason.
However, with the top teams sniffing around, the RB's resolve to remain a Saint might be tested significantly.
Alvin Kamara has been looked at closely by some of the NFL's best teams, with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams looking for a Pro Bowl-caliber running back. Of course, the contenders want Kamara, but here are some reasons why the All-Pro selection might be staying in New Orleans.
#1 The Saints are struggling in the NFC South
A lot is going on in New Orleans, and the Saints are in quite the position in the NFC South. This is a 3-5 team with well-documented problems at quarterback, yet they are a mere one game behind NFC South leaders, the Atlanta Falcons.
They are still well and truly in the playoff picture, so what makes it sensible to trade your best player?
Alvin Kamara is totaling his lowest touchdowns scored at this stage in a season. He is still getting used to the Saints' new system, and it's not like the University of Tennessee alum is getting younger.
However, he is still on track to have over 1,000 yards in a scrimmage in this campaign. Apart from any unforeseen circumstances, he is certain to partake in the 2022 Pro Bowl program come the end of the season.
#2 Alvin Kamara has some dead money
Top-class running backs are occasionally traded away by rebuilding teams looking for means to free up cap space. The New Orleans Saints could have attempted to follow this model. Unfortunately, Alvin Kamara's contract would not permit such a leeway.
Kamara is in the third year of his five-year extension, signed in 2020, and if the Saints dealt with him now, they would be on the hook for $14.3 million this year in dead money.
That means they stand to gain nothing financially from dealing away a huge part of their franchise's recent history. All for what, a first-round draft pick or a few other pick swaps?
#3 Alvin Kamara loves it over there in New Orleans
Alvin Kamara is a legend to the people of New Orleans, and the Norcross native has become one of the key symbols of the Saints' team culture. Leaving doesn't seem to be his agenda.
It is worthy of note that Kamara played college football for three universities. This is the first time in his football career that he is staying put for this length of time on a franchise.
Just listen to what Kamara had to say on Sunday about the persistent trade rumors. He went straight for the jugular, saying:
"I'm not interested in playing anywhere else."
That's what you would expect from your best player, and Kamara is proving how much he has grown since stepping into the league. What's more, he's getting better as the season progresses.
Alvin Kamara's performances this season
Alvin Kamara is easily one of the best, if not the best, running backs of his generation, and few backfield specialists are known to be able to do what he does weekly. Since being drafted by the Saints, he has given them a new dimension in every receiving or rushing play they adopt.
This season has been a little slow by his enviable standards, with the former Pro Bowler racking up a stats line of 413 yards rushing in 95 attempts, 287 receiving yards on 45 targets, and a total of three touchdowns scored across the board.
