Why Early Saints Trade Speculation Misses Mark

The 2025 National Football League trade deadline came and went and the New Orleans Saints didn't make many moves.

Now, the Saints did trade Rashid Shaheed and Trevor Penning away, but the rumors that were swirling for weeks pointed to bigger moves that didn't happen. For example, Saints running back Alvin Kamara was the subject of trade rumors himself, before he squashed them. Kamara spoke to the media about the rumors and insinuated that he would retire if he was traded and that he doesn't want to leave New Orleans.

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Point taken. The Saints didn't trade him.

While this is the case, speculation has already started for the offseason. It's far too early to know who teams will be willing to move. But, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon put together a list of each team's "most valuable" offseason trade piece and mentioned Kamara for New Orleans.

The Saints didn't trade many pieces away

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) high fives New Orleans Saints running back Devin Neal (24) during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"New Orleans Saints: RB Alvin Kamara," Gagnon said. "Receiver Brandin Cooks would work here, too. Both players are on the wrong side of 30 and unlikely to factor in beyond the current rebuild, and both remain under contract through 2026. The difference is Kamara is younger (30 versus 32) and has been much more productive than Cooks in recent seasons."

As of this moment, it's too early to be thinking about offseason trades. With the way the trade deadline went, it was pretty clear that Kamara didn't want to be moved and didn't really leave any wiggle room. So, nothing should be considered likely involving him anyway until he says otherwise.

Also, Kamara isn't having a typical season for himself so far, although he showed positive signs last week. His current cap hit is over $9 million and will jump to over $18 million in 2026. At the end of the day, any offseason trade talk right now is premature anyway. But, this idea includes a big-name guy in Kamara, but doesn't take into account the other factors.

Things could always change, but any trade idea involving Kamara took a hit ahead of the trade deadline.

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