Did Kellen Moore Shed Light on Whether Saints Set to Move Forward With Alvin Kamara?

The soon-to-be 31-year-old running back had his worst season last year, and is entering the final year of his contract

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is entering his 10th season in the NFL. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Fans who think Alvin Kamara belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Saints are already tired of the speculation on whether the star running back will be back with the team in 2026.

While he is under contract for the upcoming season, and the team are going to take a cap hit of about $10.5 million whether they keep him or not, recent comments from both Kamara – and especially Coach Kellen Moore this past weekend – lead to nothing but speculation.

All this stems from the Saints signing free agent Travis Etienne to a four-year, $48 million contract two months ago.

First, Kamara said on former Saints lineman Terron Armstead’s podcast last week about the signing, “One person can’t do it by themselves, so I am cool with it. Whichever direction we can take it, I’m with it. I haven’t had too much time to talk to him, but I am definitely excited he has a fleur de lis on his helmet. He got paid.”

He also added, “If that’s the direction we’re going, I am with it,” and that he had yet to speak to Etienne.

#Saints RB Alvin Kamara told @T_Armstead72 that he’s excited to work with Travis Etienne Jr. and hopes it can resemble what he and Mark Ingram had together:

“A lot of people be thinking there’s beef or something when moves like this happen. I couldn’t be happier. He got paid and… pic.twitter.com/0OzIfVd6N7

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 4, 2026

What opened many eyes, however, were comments from Moore, in which he was non-committal on Kamara when asked about him following Friday’s rookie minicamp practice.

“We’re just continuing to evaluate this roster,” he said. “So much of our time this week has been building up for rookie camp and giving these guys as many opportunities as we can. And that really has been the focus – getting this dialed up and ready. We’re excited about the young guys, and we’ll continue to work for this roster thing.”

He immediately was pressed by Mike Triplett of New Orleans Football, and was asked if evaluating the roster meant whether Kamara needed to be evaluated and if the team would think about going forward without him.

“I think it’s evaluating this roster as a whole,” Moore said. “We’re always trying to acquire as many talented players as we can. This rookie process will be a part of it. Obviously, we know what Alvin means to us – we love Alvin – and we have gone through the process and will continue to go through it.”

Kamara, entering his 10th year in the NFL, had his worst season statistically – by far – in his 30-year-old season of 2025. He gained just 471 yards rushing on 131 carries and caught 33 passes for 186 yards. He scored only one touchdown all season.

It was the first time in his career he did not gain at least 1,000 yards of total offense.