Saints engineer a clever contract maneuver, unlocking crucial salary cap space by cleverly restructuring Alvin Kamara's deal.
The New Orleans Saints have had a quiet offseason so far. That said, don't confuse the calm with inactivity.
The Saints have been making moves, although mostly preliminary. So far, the moves have taken place internally as the team has restructured contracts to become get under the salary cap.
The big move so far has been the restructure of aging star running back Alvin Kamara's contract. ESPN reporter Katherine Terrell suggests the move deserves more credit for its ingenuity than it is probably receiving.
"The Saints reworked Kamara's contract in a different way than their typical restructures.
The NFL collective bargaining agreement has a provision for contracts, known as the 50% rule, that says the player's salary and bonuses cannot be less than the remaining prorated portion of the signing bonus for that year. A restructure of Kamara's contract would have added $2.04 million to each year -- more than the $1.35 million base salary allocated for the 2027 contract year.
The Saints took the sum of the difference between Kamara's 2026 salary and his 2027 salary (a total of $10.55 million) and turned that into an optional signing bonus to spread out the cap hit over the remaining portion of the contract. ...
Kamara's previous cap number of $18.63 million was one of the highest on the team. He'll turn 31 on July 25 and has finished the past two seasons unable to play because of injuries. That makes his long-term future uncertain, with the team possibly looking to get younger and spend less at this position."
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) rushes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mike Dinovo-Imagn ImagesFreeing up just over $8 million in cap space to retain a key member of your franchise is unequivocally a good move especially in light of the fact that the team is now $11 million under the salary cap. Now the team has flexibility to fill out its roster more effectively.
As we have already noted, the Saints are not precluded from drafting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in the first round should they view him as the best player they could draft with the No. 8 pick. He will be among the best at the pick without a doubt if national scouts are correct in their mock draft rankings. Still the Saints will start with stability at running back should Kamara return for another season.
The Saints are making moves. New Orleans will see the fruit of those moves in the coming days.