Entering the league in 1967 as an expansion team based out of New Orleans, the Saints waited twenty years before making it to the playoffs, or even earning a winning record. After legendary head coach Jim Mora finally led the team to their first playoff appearance in 1987, it was another thirteen years of waiting before they would claim their first ever playoff victory (a 31-28 thriller over the St. Louis Rams). 

 

Curiously, most Saints fans don’t dwell on this chapter, instead choosing to focus on the next period of their existence. Significantly more exciting, this next period included two decades of team success behind the arm Drew Brees and the mind Sean Payton. This stretch included nine playoff appearances, seemingly endless broken records, and one Lombardi trophy (Super Bowl XLIV). However, since the exit of Brees and Payton (2020 and 2021 respectively), it feels like everything has changed. A team which was once seen as a perennial ‘sure thing’ has now failed to make it to the postseason for the past five years. Far from the team accustomed to being the pride of the NFC South, they’ve lived in its basement for the past two years. Since Brees and Payton, the Saints have cycled through nine different quarterbacks and three head coaches. Through all the turmoil created in the wake of the conclusion of the Brees-Payton era, only one important element remains. 

 

Alvin Kamara was drafted in the third round (67th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee. Viewed as an explosive “all purpose” back, Kamara was a player the Saints’ coaches believed would bring some juice next to former Alabama Heisman winner Mark Ingram II. They were right. He immediately helped redefine the role of the modern NFL running back, showcasing elite receiving production alongside an extremely impressive rushing ability. Capturing the 2017 Rookie of the Year award, Kamara propelled the Saints to the playoffs for the next four years. 

 

Kamara, one of only two offensive players left from the Brees era (TE Taysom Hill), seems to be the last remnant of the historic success that the Saints enjoyed over Brees’ 15 year career. Even since the departure of Brees and Payton, Kamara has continued to put up consistent production aside from 2025, where he suffered a season-ending knee injury, the numbers speak for themselves. This is one of the main reasons why he’s been a fixture of the team for so long. The other, perhaps more important reason, for his long tenure is that he possesses an intangible quality that is as crucial as it is rare. While praised for his accountability and honesty within the locker room, Kamara remains a fixture because he knows what it’s like to win. There are not many players in the NFL that know what it takes to win and perform at the highest level. Kamara was an integral part of successful New Orleans football and, for that reason, the team should keep him around as long as they can.

 

Kamara is playing under a restructured contract that binds him to the team until 2026. In a new-look RB room featuring free-agent acquisition Travis Etienne and Ty Chandler (Jacksonville and Minnesota respectively), expect Kamara to have a reduced workload on the field while leaning into the veteran role; one that will be crucial to the Saints reestablishing the identity they worked so hard to maintain in the Brees era.