Alvin Kamara has never been shy about where his heart lies-and as the New Orleans Saints navigate what could be a pivotal offseason, the veteran running back is making it crystal clear: he wants to stay in the Crescent City.
Since the NFL trade deadline back in November, Kamara’s name has been a consistent presence in speculation about potential roster moves. At 30 years old and currently sidelined with knee and ankle injuries, he hasn’t played or practiced since Week 12. With the Saints evaluating their long-term plans and rookie Devin Neal showing promise before landing on injured reserve with a hamstring issue, the noise around Kamara’s future has only grown louder.
But if you ask Kamara, the idea of suiting up for another team isn’t just unappealing-it’s off the table entirely.
Speaking this week on The Set with Terron Armstead, Kamara addressed the trade chatter head-on, revisiting comments he made at the deadline when he joked that if traded, he’d rather sip a piña colada somewhere than play elsewhere. That line sparked plenty of conversation, but Kamara says the message was simple: he’s all in on New Orleans.
“I saw a lot of people looking at that and saying, like, I was holding the Saints hostage by saying that if they traded me, I would retire,” Kamara said. “Which is not at all what I was saying.
What I was saying was the same thing I’ve said my whole career. I want to be in New Orleans, right?
Period. In the simplest of forms.
I want to be in New Orleans.”
It’s not about leverage. It’s about loyalty.
Kamara emphasized that he wasn’t issuing ultimatums or trying to control the front office’s hand. He understands how the business works. But for him, football in another jersey just doesn’t feel like football at all.
“If I were to have to play football somewhere else, then I don’t want to play football,” Kamara added. “That’s all I was saying.
It’s the trade deadline, so things get read into a little bit more. It’s like, ‘Well, they went to Alvin and asked him if he wanted to be traded.
And he told Mickey Loomis that if they trade him…’ I wasn’t holding anybody hostage.”
He made it clear that decisions like trades are ultimately out of his hands: “At the end of the day, that entity, that team, they swing the gavel. So, I’m never going to go up there and be like, ‘If you trade me, I’m going to go home.’”
Kamara’s message? He’s not trying to dictate terms-he’s just not interested in starting over somewhere else. And after everything he’s given to the Saints since entering the league, it’s hard to argue that his connection to the team and the city isn’t genuine.
As the Saints look ahead to a crucial offseason-one that could include tough decisions at several key positions-the Kamara question looms large. But if it’s up to him, there’s no question at all.
He wants to finish what he started in New Orleans.