Saints Alvin Kamara nearing agreement on long-term contract

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The and All-Pro running back are "extremely close" to an agreement on a long-term contract extension, . Both sides are reportedly motivated to get a deal done and the hope is that it is finalized in the coming days.The past week has been a roller coaster ride for the relationship between team and player. Early this month, the former second-round selection was absent for four days and it had not been approved by the Saints. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler for a minor back injury despite speculation that the absence was contract-related. Emotions were running high in New Orleans, which prompted reports that the team was open to trade scenarios if a first-round pick was attached. Fowler adds that four teams Harmon Killebrew Jersey called about Kamara, but cooler heads prevailed and the two parties continued working toward a long-term extension.Trading Kamara, 25, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, would have been counter-intuitive to their aggre sive nature this offseason. The NFC South franchise packaged multiple picks to pursue quality, not quantity, in the 2020 NFL Draft. When the dust had settled, the Saints had made three selections in the first two days and four altogether. Late last week, New Orleans was for then-free-agent defensive end , who was since signed with the . Many a sume that the upcoming season may be the last for quarterback and the team's aggre sivene s certainly substantiates those claims.It has been a busy offseason for running backs signing contract extensions. Titans running back ($12.5 million annual average), running back ($12 million annual average) and running back ($16 million annual average) all received strong commitments from their respective franchises. Kamara's deal is projected to fall somewhere in the middle of that range.The Georgia native has been selected to three Pro Bowls and was named a second-team All-Pro in 2017. Last season, he had 797 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 171 carries as well as 81 receptions for 533 yards and a touchdown in 14 games. The Tenne see product has recorded exactly 81 receptions in each of his Minnesota Twins Blank Jersey three seasons.The Saints open the regular season Sept. 13 at home against and the .