Saints Gaining Steam for Jaguars Star Travis Etienne Jr.

The New Orleans Saints' running back room is under a microscope right now.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) rushes for yards against Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have been hard at work freeing up salary cap space over the last few days and took another step in the right direction on Friday by restructuring Alvin Kamara's deal with the team.

Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported on X that the Saints converted $10.155 million of his salary in a restructuring.

"The Saints and Alvin Kamara converted $10.155 million of his salary, but it wasn't the same standard conversion that Justin Reid, Juwan Johnson and Chase Young did," Underhill wrote.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network pointed out on X that in going this route, the Saints are at least "keeping their options" open with Kamara. The longtime Saints star is under contract for just one more season. Because of that, the Saints need to be thinking ahead as well. One option Saints fans should be keeping an eye on is Travis Etienne Jr., as pointed out by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

The Saints could use a running back

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) fakes the hands off to running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think Walker will have a healthy market, with the Chiefs, Broncos and Giants among the teams trying to wrestle him from the Seahawks. And Etienne could wind up at over $10 million per year, and could fit with a team like the Saints."

This isn't the first time the Jacksonville Jaguars running back has been connected to New Orleans. NBC Sports' Matthew Berry also reported that he heard the Saints and Kansas City Chiefs as potential landing spots for him.

"Among the places I heard for Travis Etienne to land include New Orleans and Kansas City," Berry wrote.

Etienne is just 27 years old and is coming off a season in which he racked up 1,107 rushing yards and 1,399 total yards from scrimmage. On top of this, he had 13 total touchdowns (7 rushing, 6 receiving)

Etienne is a dual-threat back who would complement Kamara well. Then, if the longtime Saints star opted to hang up his cleats after the 2026 season, New Orleans would be covered for years to come. It's going to be an intriguing situation to monitor. Free agency will begin on Monday, March 9.