Alvin Kamara Injury: Door shut on lead role in NOLA

Kamara (knee) isn't in line to lead the Saints backfield in 2026, as Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Travis Etienne agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with New Orleans on Monday.

Kamara has been the Saints' primary backfield option when healthy for each of the past eight seasons, starting 92 of the 110 regular-season games in which he has appeared during that stretch after making only three starts in 16 games as a rookie in 2017. Etienne has a similar three-down skill set and is almost four years younger than Kamara, who will turn 31 in July. Kamara agreed to a restructured contract with the Saints in March but still could be cut prior to the 2026 season. Even if Kamara remains on the roster and fully recovers from the MCL injury that sidelined him after Week 12 of the 2025 season, he would likely have to settle for a complementary role barring an injury to New Orleans' new lead back.