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The Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars are three teams that could use more help at running back, which makes them clear possible trade partners for the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints may be willing to part ways with Alvin Kamara, who the team has not yet fully committed to for the 2026 campaign.
Kamara is coming off a down, injury-plagued season, the Saints signed Travis Etienne to a big-money deal, and general manager Mickey Loomis continues to leaves Kamara's future with the team up in the air.
"We're just trying to see how he's going to fit on our roster," Loomis said of the veteran running back. "Obviously there's a resource management element to it. We'll get to that over the next week or two."
To his credit, Kamara has not complained at all about the addition of Etienne and he appears set to play out the final year of his contract.
“I think a lot of people be thinking there’s a beef or something when moves like this happen,” Kamara said. “It’s like, shoot, I couldn’t be happier. One, my boy got paid, and two, ain’t nothing but some help in the backfield. That’s the name of the game. One person can’t do it by themselves. I’m cool with it. Whichever direction that we can take it, I’m with it. I haven’t had too much a chance to talk to him, but definitely excited that he’s got a fleur-de-lis on his helmet, and he got paid.”
On the flip side, it's pretty clear the Saints are not sold on him staying, at least with his contract as is, so a trade simply cannot be ruled out.
Alvin Kamara named trade candidate
With everything that has transpired, Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker has named Kamara a trade candidate.
Another talented but aging running back whose team made an upgrade, Kamara’s tenure in New Orleans might be approaching sunset.
Kamara played like a shell of himself in 2025, as his 51.7 overall and 61.0 PFF rushing grades were easily career lows. Because of Kamara’s poor performance across only 12 games, New Orleans ranked 28th in rushing success rate.
Kellen Moore found a long-term solution at running back by signing Travis Etienne Jr., and trading the 30-year-old is the logical follow-up. Kamara’s large contract becomes more palatable to move after June 1, when his dead cap falls from $21.3 million to hardly over $7 million.
Kamara would make sense for Washington, Denver and Jacksonville.
After the entire football world expected the Commanders to do something big at the running back position this offseason, general manager Adam Peters has been mostly quiet there.
Peters has only added a pair of backups behind the unproven Jacory Croskey-Merritt in Rachaad White and Jerome Ford, and a rookie in Kaytron Allen, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Broncos are in much better shape with a duo of J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, but Dobbins has been unable to stay healthy throughout his career — and that was once again the case in 2025 — and Harvey has yet to prove himself fully.
In Jacksonville, we already touched on Etienne leaving the Jags to go to the Saints. The Jags responded by signing Chris Rodriguez, who joins a backfield that also includes second-year back Bhayshul Tuten.
Not exactly a secure backfield for a team looking to contend in 2026.
Assuming Kamara doesn't retire if traded or cut, something he threatened to do at last year's trade deadline, he's likely going to want to join a contender.
If that's the case, the Broncos are his best bet, seeing as how Denver was one win away from the Super Bowl in 2025. Kamara also has a strong connection to head coach Sean Payton, who coached him in New Orleans.
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