Saints' Alvin Kamara says he's 'here to play' despite no deal

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - Despite not receiving the desired new deal, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has decided to postpone further discussions about his contract until next year.

Kamara showed no signs of concern about the absence of a new contract during the Saints' 47-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars' Superdome on Sunday afternoon. He rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, marking his highest rushing yardage since gaining 107 yards in a 10-7 defeat to the Panthers in the final game of the 2022 season.

In addition, he caught all five of his targets for 27 yards. During a brief moment when Kamara left the game, he received applause from the crowd for achieving his 50th game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.

"I'm not worried about it. I'm here to play. I'm going to play. I'm going to perform. I don't got no illness. I don't got no mystery injury. I'm here. You know what I'm saying? I'm going to play, I'm going to perform, I'm going to be here with my teammates, coaches," Kamara said. "Outside of all that, I think the most important thing, I mean, I love this city right? I love the fans. I love these people. They support me. They've been supporting me for years now, right?

"For me, in my head, it would be kind of selfish to not go out there. I mean, I interact with so many people every day. These people love me like I'm family. I feel the same way and vice versa. I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't come out here and try to put on for those people that have been supporting me."

The contract extension that Kamara signed in 2020 is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season, with a value of $75 million over five years. However, the team will likely need to address his $29 million salary cap figure and $22.4 million base salary for 2025 before the upcoming season.

Furthermore, the Saints did not restructure Kamara's contract this season, unlike other major deals, in order to create salary cap space in 2024. While contract restructures provide immediate financial relief, they can lead to higher costs if the team decides to release the player before the contract term ends.

"It didn't get done. Like I said, it is what it is," Kamara said Sunday. "It may get done, it might not get done. I'm just focused on football right now, so I don't want to talk contract at all. I've never wanted to be the center of attention on anything, on any front right? I don't want to be sitting here trying to negotiate a contract while we're trying to win games, while we're trying to get to a Super Bowl. And I meant it when I said it the other day, we'll talk about it after the season."

At the beginning of training camp, Kamara, aged 29, committed to completing the season even if he and the Saints do not agree on an extension. His contract has been a topic of conversation ever since he missed the last mandatory minicamp practice, a move that seemed unexpected to Saints coach Dennis Allen back then.

"Everybody always says I'm a mystery, right? They don't know what I'm doing, what I'm thinking. But, saying it without saying it, I kind of made it pretty clear. ... Obviously I didn't come to OTAs. ... I was here for minicamp, left that last day and everybody was just kind of like holding their breath to see if I was going to show up to camp," Kamara said.

Scoring on their initial nine possessions, the Saints also found success on every drive with quarterback Derek Carr and the starting offense. It wasn't until the last five minutes that the Saints had to punt, when backup quarterback Jake Haener replaced Carr.