Alvin Kamara and Mrs. Benson return to Saints practice

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara reported to Saints training camp on Wednesday amid the rumored contract drama from Tuesday afternoon.

Update - 3:05 PM CST, Wednesday 9/2/2020

John Hendrix of Saints News Network reports, "Sean Payton says the Saints are actively negotiating the contract with Alvin Kamara and his agent."

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New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara reported to Saints Training Camp on Wednesday amid the rumored contract drama from Tuesday afternoon.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara reported to Saints Training camp amid the contract drama.  Saints owner Gayle Benson also returned to the facility after COVID-19 positive test.  Mrs. Benson is in the golf cart.  Credit: Edwin Goode, WVUE;  September 2, 2020.  Metairie, LA

This morning on the NFL Network, Ian Rapoport talked about how "cooler heads" prevailed for both the Kamara and Saints camps overnight. The two sides will continue to hammer out a contract extension for Kamara to remain in New Orleans. The Saints organization has not shared the exact details of the talks. Mickey Loomis always maintains silence on players' contracts until details are final and reported to the league.

Kamara and Sean Payton met today to discuss his unexcused absences from training camp practices.  Rapoport said their meeting helped to "clear the air" and was very productive.

From Inside Training Camp Live: The #Saints and RB Alvin Kamara are back on the same page, and he's at practice today. pic.twitter.com/Ki9raKM5A9

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 2, 2020

Former ESPN reporter Josina Anderson was first to break the news of the Saints entertaining talks about trading Kamara. This morning, she reported the team is still open to trade talks for a possible first-round choice.

CONTRACT TALKS AND THOUGHTS

Two contract deals may fit Alvin Kamara right in the middle for his extension with New Orleans. The first is Panthers star Christian McCaffrey's record-setting four-year contract extension worth $64M, approximately $16M per year. Yesterday, Cincinnati's running back Joe Mixon agreed to a four-year, $48M contract extension for a $12M per year average. 

Can the Saints afford Kamara's fit in the sweet spot of a $14M per year contract without upsetting next year's negotiations with Ryan Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore? Keep this in mind, Loomis still needs to figure out if Demario Davis can be offered a new contract. If not, the All-Pro linebacker will be on the free-agent market next offseason.

Mrs. Benson Returned to Saints Camp

New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson returned to the facility after a positive COVID-19 test.  Mrs. Benson was not hospitalized for her condition, instead she rested and recovered at her home in New Orleans.

Saints News Network will have more updates on Kamara's contract negotiations.