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With the status of New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara up in the air, trade ideas continue to flow. Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport projects a Kamara trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a fifth round selection in 2027.

Kamara’s status persists as a topic of conversation, but Saints general manager Mickey Loomis states that a conclusion is close. New Orleans signed former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne earlier this offseason.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore made a statement to reporters about Kamara’s status: “Part of the offseason process during Phase 3 is you’re still going through a little bit of the building process, you’re still finalizing some things, and so that comes with time. We understand that during OTAs naturally there’s different things popping up in Phase 3, but yeah, we’re getting close.”

Saints Kamara Trade Idea Makes Sense for Both Sides

GettyKamara still feels he can contribute to an NFL team despite trade rumors.

For the New Orleans Saints, trading Kamara for a day three pick in 2027 seems reasonable because of his age and the Etienne signing. Kamara appears as a surplus to requirements on the Saints roster unless he makes a sizable step forward back to his old self. The team still rosters Devin Neal, Kendre Miller, and Audric Estime as potential backups to Etienne. At this point, Kamara mainly hurts the Saints salary cap, so a trade idea like this is logical.

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kamara provides veteran insurance to a questionable backfield. Despite a down season in 2025, Kamara still believes he can produce in the NFL. The Jaguars added Chris Rodriguez in free agency from the Washington Commanders. However, beyond him Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen only enter their second seasons in the NFL.

To perform as devil’s advocate for a moment, a Saints Kamara trade seems unlikely overall because of his salary situation. Unless New Orleans eats most of Kamara’s dead cap hit ($18,212,212), a fifth round pick for his services seems rich. If the Jacksonville Jaguars desperately need a veteran running back, they should be able to sign one in free agency.

Kamara Wants to Remain with the Saints

GettyRecent comments indicate Kamara’s desire to remain with the New Orleans Saints.

Despite the signing of Etienne and constant trade dialogue, Kamara stays steadfast in his efforts to stay in New Orleans. On Terron Armstead’s podcast, Kamara gave glowing words about Etienne. Kamara feels that a duo with them both could emulate the committee he had with Mark Ingram. Together, they ran for over 3000 scrimmage yards, and Kamara won the award for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

It remains to be seen if the Saints want to bring Kamara back though. All signs show that a divorce seems imminent. However, given his status as an all-time great Saints player, the team could do right by him and keep him on the roster. Similarly, the Saints have appeared on the fence about bringing back Cameron Jordan to the roster. New Orleans has a young team and wants to operate accordingly.