Travis Etienne Chose Saints Over Chiefs, Broncos in Free Agency

The New Orleans Saints' running back room looks like one of the very best in the entire National Football League right now.

Alvin Kamara is still in town. Saints head coach Kellen Moore sidestepped a question about Kamara's future on Thursday.

"We'd like to go through that process certainly," Moore said when asked if Kamara is expected to remain in New Orleans. "Obviously, you know, Alvin means a lot to us. Again, we're three days in this thing, we signed Travis, and we'll go through that process."

The Saints made a phenomenal move

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) jukes against Tennessee Titans safety Sanoussi Kane (42) during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7, capturing the AFC South title. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Kamara sticks around, him and Travis Etienne Jr. are going to be a high-octane duo for the franchise. If he doesn't, then Etienne will get the vast majority of the work out of the backfield. Either way, the Saints are trending in the right direction. Landing Etienne was massive for the long-term outlook of the position. He's a local boy out of Jennings, Louisiana and is coming off a season in which he had 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns. He has two seasons under his belt with over 1,440 scrimmage yards as well in four years.

Etienne spoke to the media for the first time as a member of the Saints on Friday about a wide range of topics, including that his name has been pronounced incorrectly throughout his career to this point. On top of this, Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports shared on X that Etienne told him that the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos were interested in him, but right when he learned New Orleans was interested, it was over.

"Travis Etienne told me the Chiefs and Broncos were two teams showing interest in free agency, but once the Saints entered the picture the decision became fairly simple," Nowak wrote.

Travis Etienne told me the Chiefs and Broncos were two teams showing interest in free agency, but once the Saints entered the picture the decision became fairly simple. @wwlamfm
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) March 13, 2026

The future is bright in New Orleans. This is just another example of why. Sure, the Saints are close to where Etienne grew up, which obviously doesn't hurt. But the Chiefs are the league's most recent dynasty and the Broncos just made it to the AFC Championship last season. And yet, Etienne is in New Orleans. The vibes shifted midway through the 2025 season and they are through the roof now.