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Amid a contract dispute with the New Orleans Saints, running back Alvin Kamara addressed comparisons between himself and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who recently signed a lucrative extension with the Niners.
Speaking to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, Kamara expressed appreciation for McCaffrey, but noted that he doesn’t focus on comparing his statistical output to McCaffrey or anyone else:
“I’m not a stat dude. I don’t stack myself up against other guys. You talk about Christian and all, me and Christian talk. I enjoy watching him play. I enjoy when he’s able to do the things he does. Personally, I enjoy when I’m having success. But I think my message has been the same since I’ve been here … whatever’s asked of me, I just do that.”
McCaffrey is coming off arguably the best season of his career, as he led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2,023 and total touchdowns with 21, earning him NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.
That performance also netted McCaffrey a two-year, $38 million contract extension this offseason, which is rare for a 28-year-old player at his position.
Kamara signed a five-year, $75 million extension in 2020, meaning he is under contract through the 2025 campaign.
However, Kamara skipped the Saints’ final minicamp practice, and his agent Brad Cicala said the decision to skip the practice was related to his contract, per Terrell.
Kamara, who will turn 29 on July 25, is coming off a down year by his standards, as his 694 rushing yards and 1,160 yards from scrimmage were career lows, while his six total touchdowns matched the second-lowest total of his career.
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However, there is an expectation that a huge bounce back could be in store thanks to the arrival of Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator.
Kubiak was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator last season, meaning he had a sizable role running an offense that saw McCaffrey finish with 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.
Kamara had 75 catches for 466 yards last season, but he has reached the 80-catch mark four times and the 700-yard receiving mark three times in his career.
Given what McCaffrey was able to do as a focal point in the San Francisco offense last season, Kamara expressed excitement regarding Kubiak’s arrival, saying: “You watch some of the past offenses that Klint has been able to operate and most recent, you look [at] last year, you look at Christian and what he was able to do. I’m excited for that.”
Kamara would be in line for a massive new contract if he were to put up numbers anywhere close to what McCaffrey posted last season, but it can be argued that there would be significant risk in the Saints adjusting his deal now given the downturn in his production in 2023.
Despite being a five-time Pro Bowler, Kamara has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season and he has not scored double-digit touchdowns in any of the past three seasons, but if Kubiak utilizes him like McCaffrey was used in San Francisco last season, all of that could change.
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