The New Orleans Saints have had a dire salary cap situation for years. Yet again, New Orleans has a lot of maneuvering to do to become cap compliant and gain any flexibility whatsoever heading into the 2026 NFL new league year and free agency, which begin next week.
This week, the Saints reportedly restructured the contracts of defensive end Chase Young, safety Justin Reid, and tight end Juwan Johnson. With that context, Nick Underhill’s report on Friday morning that the Saints converted $10.155 million of running back Alvin Kamara’s salary could have been a run-of-the-mill announcement.
However, Underhill clarified, “It wasn’t the same standard conversion that Justin Reid, Juwan Johnson, and Chase Young did.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo chimed in: “The Saints and Alvin Kamara have adjusted his contract, lowering his cap number for 2026 by $8 million. But as [Underhill] notes, it's not a standard base salary-to-bonus conversion. Provides cap flexibility if he's not with the team. A situation to monitor.”
According to Underhill, this move could mean that Kamara will be designated as a post-June 1 release, or it could ensure Kamara remains a Saint for the last year of his contract.
The Saints selected Kamara in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Kamara won Offensive Rookie of the Year behind 728 yards and eight touchdowns as a rusher and 826 yards and five touchdowns as a receiver. The now-30-year-old has remained a reliable runner and versatile receiver throughout his nine seasons in New Orleans, which earned him five Pro Bowl trips.
Last season, Kamara was limited to 11 games. While he played through a nagging ankle injury, he suffered an MCL sprain against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 23 that ultimately ended his 2025 campaign. Across 11 games, Kamara took 131 carries for 471 yards and one touchdown, along with 33 catches for 186 yards.
The ambiguous cloud hanging over Kamara will likely only fuel speculation that the Saints are preparing to draft his replacement. ESPN’s Jordan Reid projects the Saints to draft former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 8 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23.
“The Saints hit at quarterback with Tyler Shough last year, so let’s get him a backfield mate to grow alongside,” Reid wrote. “I believe that Love is the best player in this draft and could succeed Alvin Kamara, who will be 31 next season and in the last year of his contract. The Saints had the lowest percentage of 10-plus-yard runs last season (7.8%). Meanwhile, Love had 39 runs of 10 yards or more in 2025, fourth best in the FBS. He also had two 90-plus-yard touchdown runs. Adding him would not only give coach Kellen Moore an explosive runner but a capable pass catcher, too.”
At the 2026 NFL Combine last week, Love told reporters he had met with the Saints. “I feel like I fit in well anywhere,” the Heisman finalist said. “I feel like the NFL and the coaches in the NFL have a plan for every player that they potentially want to draft, so I mean, if I’m blessed to go to the Saints, they'll find a way to use me like they did Alvin Kamara.”
The Saints finished last season at 6-11, but four of those wins came in December. Their plan is taking shape to build on that momentum, if momentum year-over-year can exist in the NFL.
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