The New Orleans Saints made a splash on the running back free agent market earlier this week, signing former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year, $52 million contract.
Etienne finished the 2025-26 NFL season with 260 carries for 1,107 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on a Jaguars squad that earned a trip to the AFC Wild Card round.
While the Saints could still move forward with their historic 30-year-old running back, Alvin Kamara (he’s tied for the most rushing touchdowns in a single NFL game), Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes that the Denver Broncos could be among the best NFL landing spots for the ex-Offensive Rookie of the Year if New Orleans eventually trades him.
“No coach has gotten more out of Kamara than Sean Payton,” Kay wrote Tuesday. “Payton was at the reins in New Orleans when the franchise drafted the back out of Tennessee in 2017 and helped the rookie prospect immediately blossom into a star.”
“During their tenure together with the Saints from 2017-21, Kamara averaged an eye-popping 1,500 yards and 13.4 touchdowns per season. He made the Pro Bowl in all five of those seasons and established himself as one of the NFL's great playmakers.”
“While Dobbins re-upped with Denver on a two-year deal, the Broncos could still benefit heavily from having Kamara in the mix as both insurance and a change-of-pace option to round out the platoon. The Broncos hold the final two selections in the 2026 draft and could package these up in exchange for his services.”
Kay’s hypothetical trade idea would see the Broncos send two 2027 seventh-round picks to the Saints for Kamara. As Kay noted, there’s no question that Kamara and Payton’s established chemistry could play a significant role in a potential offseason trade.
While Kamara failed to rush for 1,000 yards under Payton’s leadership, he was highly productive when the Super Bowl-winning head coach was at the helm, finishing with 7,501 total scrimmage yards and 67 total touchdowns.
Although the Tennessee product is coming off a rough 2025-26 campaign with the Saints, it isn’t far-fetched to suggest that the 5-foot-10 speedster and elite contact balance RB could get back on track with Payton in Denver next season in an ideal scenario.
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