The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a stellar 14-3 season and tough playoff battle with the Buffalo Bills, but the loss of Travis Etienne Jr. has set the club up for a backslide in 2026.
While the Jags are preparing to replace the star running back with some underwhelming combination of Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., LeQuint Allen Jr., Ameer Abdullah, DeeJay Dallas and undrafted free agent J’Mari Taylor, a trade for Alvin Kamara would give them a legitimate starter who could keep the club in contention this coming season.
Although the Jags declined to issue a pricy free-agent deal to Etienne—who eventually signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Saints—they could benefit from the logjam their former back’s addition created in the Big Easy. Kamara no longer makes sense in New Orleans due to his combination of age, salary and projected role within the offense, but he’d be a great pickup for Jacksonville for these same reasons.
Tuten is projected to emerge as the Jaguars’ RB1, but the sophomore back didn’t inspire much confidence that he’s ready for the job during his first NFL season. He may have scored seven total touchdowns as a rookie, but Tuten only mustered 307 yards across his 83 carries—a meager 3.7 yards per carry average. Given the still-present fumbling concerns that led Tuten to fall to the fourth round of the 2025 draft, it’s too soon to entrust a major role to the 23-year-old.
Kamara would be a far better choice to start in Jacksonville. Even if he winds up being a one-year rental, the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year has shown he’s plenty capable of carrying a backfield. Having him and Tuten in a timeshare would provide the Jags with a balanced offense built for both the 2026 season and the future.
Considering it should only take an early Day 3 pick to bring Kamara aboard, the Jags shouldn’t hesitate to make this low-risk, high-reward addition.