One of the NFL’s best running backs is apparently headed to the trade market. It’s hard not to dream on Alvin Kamara in a Bears jersey.
ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets the Saints could shop Alvin Kamara, who has sat out practices without an excused absence:
I'm told the Saints are open to trading RB Alvin Kamara, per source.
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 1, 2020
At the root of Kamara’s sitting out is a desire to get a contract extension. He’s set to play the final year of his rookie deal at just $2.1 million this year. And while big-money deals for running backs don’t happen often, they’ve been trending recently: Christian McCaffrey reset the top of the market earlier in the offseason, and more recently Joe Mixon was just given a hefty payday by the Bengals.
Kamara, 25, is the total package in the backfield. He has averaged 1,492 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns over the last three years. Kamara has gained 2,408 yards and scored 27 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 243 catches and 2,068 receiving yards and 10 more touchdowns in 45 games. And for good measure, Kamara also has experience as a return specialist.
In a vacuum, Alvin Kamara is the perfect back for Matt Nagy’s offense. There’s no denying that much. And for what it’s worth, the Bears hosted Kamara for a pre-draft visit. Things went well enough that Kamara was convinced Chicago was going to draft him at some point in 2017. That didn’t happen, sadly, but it’s worth noting for this conversation.
Does Kamara actually fit with the Bears?
Well, I mean, it’s not like you necessarily worry too much about displacing David Montgomery if you were pairing him with a star like Kamara. And maybe even he or Tarik Cohen would wind up going the other way in a hypothetical trade with the Saints. Of course, the price tag would be much, much higher than that, and the Bears are only just now about to get back into the first round after a couple years in Khalil-Mack-trade exile. Even assuming Kamara costs less than that, the Bears just keep working with reduced draft capital. Maybe you do it for Kamara – I’m just saying, it’s a consideration.
And even if we got to that point, there’s the matter of satisfying Kamara’s request for an extension that would keep him around. The Bears’ budget is tight as is, and figures to become even more condensed with a projected salary cap reduction on the horizon for 2021.
On the Alvin Kamara situation with the #Saints, I'm told that right now, the team is comfortable making him a top 5 paid RB ($12+ mil per season). But Kamara's number is pushing more toward the #Panthers' Christian McCaffrey extension ($16+ mil per). That's a pretty wide chasm.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) September 1, 2020
The Bears trading for Kamara is a long shot (adding Leonard Fournette to pair with Montgomery seems to make more sense). Even if it wasn’t, I’m not totally convinced it would be the best use of the team’s assets. But because Ryan Pace has been unpredictable over the years, and Kamara is so dang good (and an ideal fit), I won’t rule it out at first blush.