Saints Make A Backfield Move With Alvin Kamara Suddenly In Focus

In a strategic roster shuffle, the Saints address their running back needs by swapping veteran linebacker Deion Jones for 49ers' Zamir White.

The Saints are sending veteran linebacker Deion Jones to the 49ers in exchange for running back Zamir White, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

New Orleans was looking for help in the backfield, with Alvin Kamara dealing with a knee injury, and White gives the Saints another body at running back.

Jones, 31, came into the league as a second-round pick of the Falcons in 2016. His career has included a major extension, a reworked deal, and a long run of roster movement since then. After entering the final year of his four-year, $4.546 million contract and preparing to make a base salary of $1.07 million for the 2019 season, he agreed to a four-year, $57 million extension that included $34 million guaranteed.

He was later set to earn base salaries of $9.64 million and $12 million over the final two years of that deal before agreeing to a restructured contract that voided the final season. Atlanta eventually dealt him to the Browns for a late-round pick swap in 2024.

Jones also spent time with the Panthers, who signed him during the offseason and then released him coming out of training camp. Carolina later brought him back on the practice squad before elevating him to the active roster.

The Bills added Jones on a contract in May of 2024, but moved on from him after the preseason. He then landed with the Buccaneers in December 2024, went back and forth on their practice squad, and ultimately returned to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal in January 2025. In 2025, Jones played in all 17 games for the Buccaneers and finished with 29 tackles.

White, 26, started for two years at Georgia and led the Bulldogs in rushing in each of those final two seasons. The Raiders took him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

He completed a four-year, $4,403,930 rookie deal that included a $743,930 signing bonus and reached unrestricted free agency for the first time this offseason. He had just signed with the 49ers a few weeks ago.

In 2025, White appeared in six games for the Raiders and ran 12 times for 32 yards. He also caught four passes on six targets for 24 yards.

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