Where Does Alvin Kamara’s Salary Rank Among Running Backs in NFL?

No question the longtime RB for the New Orleans Saints is one of the team’s best ever, but is he being overpaid?

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is entering the final year of a deal that will count $10.5 million against the team's cap. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

For nearly a decade, Alvin Kamara has been one of the faces of the New Orleans Saints and has been one of the best running backs of this era across the NFL. In a way, he transformed the position in New Orleans and quickly became a top weapon for Drew Brees.

But as his age turned from 29 to 30 last season, his number dropped off a cliff. He went from 1,493 total yards of offense and eight touchdowns in 2024 in 14 games played to 656 yards and one touchdown in 2025.

As we enter the OTA portion of the Saints offseason, one has to wonder what we should expect for Kamara? First, it’s far from a given he will even be back with the team, as they signed Travis Etienne in free agency from Jacksonville to be the top option at running back.

Is Kamara OK playing second fiddle? Are the Saints OK with paying him the salary of an RB1? What would his role be under second-year coach Kellen Moore, who obviously is doing what he can to make this team younger?

Let’s focus on the second question. Kamara, who is in the final year of a two-year, $24.5 million deal, will count $10.5 million against the cap. That’s sixth in the NFL behind only Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor ($15.6 million), Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs ($14.5 million), LA Rams’ Kyren Williams ($11.65 million), NY Jets’ Breece Hall ($11.5 million) and San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey ($10.9 million).

Among overall contracts, Kamara’s deal gives him an average per year of $12.25 million, which is $250,000 higher than Etienne’s deal of $12 million per for four years.

Mickey Loomis sheds a bit of insight on where things stand with Alvin Kamara, Cam Jordan and Taysom Hill. #Saints https://t.co/Ih9BjqGZa1 #NFL

— Jim Derry (@JimDerryJr) May 18, 2026

Who is above Kamara in this category? Saquon Barkley, McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Kenneth Walker, Hall and Jeremiyah Love (rookie deal).

In fact, Kamara has the only one of the top 19 current running back per-year contracts who is not a current starter.

As The New Orleans Times-Picayune sports columnist Jeff Duncan writes Wednesday (May 20), the Saints are about to be in an “awkward situation,” because General Manager Mickey Loomis all but said earlier this week he will be asking Kamara to take a pay cut.

Two things can be true in the Alvin Kamara imbroglio: He can be overpaid and also justified in not wanting to take a pay cut. My column....

Jeff Duncan: Alvin Kamara being put in no-win situation if Saints seek pay cut https://t.co/quPAofGDsP via @nolanews

— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) May 20, 2026

Will the soon-to-be 31-year-old, 10-year veteran be willing to do so? That’s a much tougher question to answer as one would be hard-pressed to find a player who remains out of the spotlight more than Kamara.

But as we get closer to mandatory minicamp on June 10 and training camp in two months, an answer will soon be required.