ESPN links Alvin Kamara to Bengals, Packers as potential trade suitors

Beyond the glaring optimism in New Orleans about the Saints‘ young core and their potential, there’s a question about a player who has become a franchise icon. It’s Alvin Kamara‘s future with the Saints that is certainly one worth watching as the team enters this season with a different running back room.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano named Kamara, unsurprisingly, as a trade candidate, mentioning the 30-year-old running back as a potential candidate to land with the Cincinnati Bengals or Green Bay Packers. If Mickey Loomis and the Saints’ front office are seriously considering unloading Kamara on a one-year rental deal to a contending team, both the Bengals and Packers would make a lot of sense.

“The Saints’ beloved veteran turns 31 in July and posted career lows in touches (164) and scrimmage yards (657) in 2025,” Graziano wrote. Kamara has long been one of the faces of the Saints’ offense, but New Orleans has reshaped the position. The Saints gave Travis Etienne Jr. a major deal in free agency, signaling that he’ll be the long-term lead back, and also have Kendre Miller, Devin Neal, Audric Estime, CJ Donaldson, and Ty Chandler on their roster ahead of training camp. Ultimately, it’s a crowded running-back room, which raises an obvious question about Kamara’s role heading into 2026.

The veteran running back attended the Saints’ voluntary OTAs this week, a departure from his usual approach. Kamara is known for doing his own offseason work and attending mandatory team activities when the time comes, but he could be sending a message by showing up to seek a resolution.

A trade wouldn’t necessarily be simple, as Graziano noted. Kamara’s contract “has been amended so many times that it’s difficult to truly assess the size of the dead money burden New Orleans will take on whenever he’s gone,” as the ESPN reporter noted. Still, the dual-threat back could hold value to the right team, even if potential trade compensation would be limited at this stage of his career.

“It’s hard to see a team offering too much for Kamara at this point in his career,” Graziano wrote. “But if he lands in the right kind of backfield and the right kind of role, he could have a chance to go out with a bang.”

That’s where both Green Bay and Cincinnati would come in. For the Saints’ front office, it would also mean sending the beloved running back to a good situation with a chance of capping off his illustrious career with a Super Bowl trophy. New Orleans must decide whether Kamara has a clear role in their offense — and if he doesn’t, shipping him off to a contender would be the best course of action for both sides.

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: A detailed view of a New Orleans Saints helmet is seen on the field during a OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Head coach Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints speaks to media during a OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Head coach Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints speaks to media during the OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Travis Etienne Jr. #3 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Moliki Matavao #80 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Jordyn Tyson #0 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Oscar Delp #3 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Travis Etienne Jr. #3 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Spencer Rattler #2 of the New Orleans Saints attends the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Tyler Shough #6 and CJ Donaldson #43 of the New Orleans Saints attend the OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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Saints WR Chris Olave remains present at OTAs as he seeks extension

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Chris Olave #12 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Barion Brown #19 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: CJ Donaldson #43 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Jay’Viar Suggs #62 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Photos from first practice of New Orleans Saints OTAs

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: Justin Reid #21 of the New Orleans Saintsduring a OTA Offseason Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

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LOOK: Highlights from Saints’ second week of OTAs practices

METAIRIE, LOUISIANA – MAY 28: The New Orleans Saints defense stands in a huddle during a OTA Off season Workout at Ochsner Sports Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Metairie, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL Trade Rumors: Saints RB Alvin Kamara linked to Bengals, Packers

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