METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints and running back Alvin Kamara are finalizing a five-year, $75 million contract extension, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday.
The deal is worth a total of $77.133 million for six seasons and includes $34.333 million in guaranteed money, sources told Schefter.
The average annual value of the extension, $15 million, matches what Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 and trails only Christian McCaffrey's $16 million per year with the Carolina Panthers.
Although negotiations got tense late in training camp, when Kamara was an unexcused absence for four days and a source confirmed that the Saints were open to the possibility of trading him, the two sides ultimately found middle ground heading into the final year of his rookie contract.