Getty Image / Cooper Neill
Alvin Kamara has established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the New Orleans Saints. He is a franchise icon, without a doubt.
On Tuesday, the team announced they signed the veteran running back to an extension. While it may make fans happy, it shows that the Saints are clueless when it comes to truly rebuilding into a winner.
Kamara is having a nice year this year, with nearly 700 total yards in seven games. But, the Saints are awful. They’ve lost five straight after a 2-0 start, and appeared to quit on their season during last Thursday’s blowout loss to the Broncos. They’ve battled cap issues for a while that have made it tough to put a good team on the field after the retirement of Drew Brees. It’s time to reset and rebuild.
The Saints and Alvin Kamara agreed to a 2-year, $24.5 million extension on Tuesday. In a vacuum, this isn’t a horrible price. But, for the Saints, it’s a disastrous deal. Paying a running back when you’re not going to be contending for a Super Bowl makes absolutely no sense. I get that he is a fan favorite and team legend, but this is not a deal a bad team should be making.
Sadly, this is nothing new for the Saints. They’ve been handing out terrible contracts for a few years while they try to cling to relevancy. But, the NFL is not the type of league where trying to cling to relevancy is a good strategy. It’s time to rebuild, New Orleans.