2024 NFL trade deadline: Why Saints should deal Alvin Kamara, plus potential landing spots for veteran RB

NFL teams wasted no time in moving big names before this year's in-season trade deadline, with Davante Adams and Amari Cooper both finding new homes in recent days. Now, the New Orleans Saints should waste no time shopping one of their most accomplished players: star running back Elvin Kamara.

Thursday was always going to be ugly for New Orleans, with a severely battered lineup going up against old friend Sean Payton's defensively sound Denver Broncos — and it was. The Saints lost 33-10. What the Saints' helpless display indicated was that things could be worse. Quarterback Derek Carr is still sick along with countless others. Rookie Spencer Rattler has no cohesive supporting cast to lean on.

And Kamara, once a standard-setter for dual-threat playmakers and a surprisingly central part of the club's now-forgotten rise to start the 2024 season, has no part in the chaos.

The five-time Pro Bowler had just a half-dozen carries in the fourth quarter of Thursday's blowout. He was caught on camera visibly frustrated on the Saints sideline early in the game. And he's now averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry in four of his last five matchups, leaving a beleaguered frontline gasping for air. As if that wasn't enough, the Saints kept him on the field until the fourth quarter against Denver, trailing by 23 points as rehabbers like Carr, Taysom Hill, etc. watched comfortably from the sidelines.

When working at full speed in a healthy lineup, Kamara is capable of making splash plays. But if the Saints ever buck their own stubborn tendencies, face reality and embrace rather than resist a long-term rebuild, they'll be selling that home run talent to the rest of the NFL. The returns won't necessarily be rich for a 29-year-old running back with an injury history and high 2025 price tag; Kamara is due $29 million in the final year of a contract extension he signed back in 2020.

It would be something, though, and the acquiring team could easily see it as a half-season rental, considering Kamara could be released in the offseason to save $18 million to $25 million in 2025. Which clubs could be suitors Saints actually field or seek offers? Here are three possibilities:

Considering Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' reluctance to pay a premium for Derrick Henry this offseason, Kamara may have to renegotiate his contract to make it easier. However, Dallas lacks a punch in the ground game and could use a stronger group of pass targets in Dak Prescott's secondary after CD Lamb. Kamara definitely gets a bright spotlight here.

Denver Broncos

That's right. Sean Payton didn't need Kamara to roll with his old team on Thursday, but he could be open to robbing his old friend New Orleans to definitively close the book on his Saints tenure. The Broncos already have a committee backfield, leaning heavily on the run game, and Kamara's pass-catching skills will give rookie quarterback Bo Nix arguably his best safety valve.

Everyone is talking about a potential wide receiver trade for the reigning Super Bowl champions, but what about a blockbuster reinforcement for the running backfield with Isiah Pacheco injured? Kareem Hunt has performed well in relief, but can he stay healthy down the stretch? Andy Reid would almost certainly prefer a high-upside option, and Kamara would give him another weapon for Patrick Mahomes.