Could New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara now be holding out for a new contract?
The answer to that question might be yes. According to Adam Schefter, Kamara's absence from training camp for the last three days could be due to the fourth-year Saint looking for a new contract.
Saints' RB Alvin Kamara has had an unexcused absence from training camp the past three days and it is believe to be contract related, per sources.
Kamara has had an amazing career thus far, and it looks like he is looking to get paid as one of the top running backs in the NFL. Kamara has made the Pro Bowl following all three seasons he's been in the league thus far and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Kamara is heading into his final year of his rookie contract and is expected to be paid $2.133 million this season. If Kamara does not sign a new contract prior to the end of the season ,he will become an unrestricted free agent. Kamara is not the first running back to threaten a holdout to try to get a new contract at the end of their rookie deal. Most notable is LeVeon Bell, who sat out the entirety of the 2018 season instead of signing his franchise tag. Other running backs who have held out include Ezekiel Elliot and Melvin Gordon. All three of those should be a cautionary tale to Kamara, however, as their production dipped following the holdout.
It is too early to tell if this will be like Elliot, where he got a new contract prior to the season and played the entire season, or like Bell and Gordon who sat out for either some or all of the season. The clock is ticking on both sides to make a deal before Week One, which is in two weeks.
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