Did Alvin Kamara send message to Saints with cryptic social media post?

Oct 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) during warm ups against the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Alvin Kamara reported to the start of training camp with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, but he may have done so reluctantly.

Kamara has been seeking a new contract this offseason. The star running back attended the first portion of minicamp last month before abruptly departing, and his agent confirmed that the decision was contract-related.

There was some speculation that Kamara might hold out from training camp. Kamara may have explained why he decided to show up by sharing a photo on his Instagram story:

Kamara’s latest Instagram post pic.twitter.com/9Dv8p0FfqU

— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) July 23, 2024

That is Kamara with former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. At Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, Lynch infamously refused to cooperate with the media and repeated the phrase “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” It is possible Kamara shared a photo of him and Lynch as a way of saying he only showed up to training camp to avoid a fine, which would amount to a hefty $50,000 per day.

Kamara is set to earn just under $12 million this season between his base salary and bonuses. He has no guaranteed money on his deal for 2025 and a cap hit of $29 million, which means he does not have any real long-term security with his current contract.

Though he remained productive last season with 1,160 yards from scrimmage and 6 total touchdowns in 13 games, Kamara will turn 29 on Thursday. He likely feels that he is running out of time to secure another long-term extension.