He left the team’s mandatory minicamp, due to his dissatisfaction with his contract. The next question is whether Saints running back Alvin Kamara will show up for training camp.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has suggested that Kamara possibly will hold out of camp. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. Because he’s on his second contract, the daily fines would be non-waivable. The Saints will have to collect the money, whenever he shows up.
Kamara has a $10.2 million base salary this year. The problem comes in 2025, when his compensation package sparks to $25 million. The Saints undoubtedly will tear up the contract after the coming season. Kamara is trying to get more money, and presumably greater security, before the 2024 campaign begins.
The two sides have been trying to work out a revised deal. They clearly haven’t been able to reach a middle ground. If they don’t before the opening of camp, the question becomes whether he shows up.
The Ravens have added a veteran receiver.
Baltimore announced on Friday that the club has signed Keith Kirkwood.
Kirkwood, 29, had participated in the Ravens’ minicamp on a tryout basis.
He appeared in 13 games with four starts last season for the Saints, catching five passes for 37 yards. He was also on the field for 89 special teams snaps.
In 31 career games since entering the league in 2018, Kirkwood has caught 24 passes for 294 yards with three touchdowns.
Former Saints defensive back Steve Gleason’s fight against ALS has earned much recognition over the years and he will be honored again at the ESPY Awards in July.
ESPN announced on Thursday that Gleason will receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the event on July 11 in Los Angeles. The award is given to those whose contributions to the world transcend sports and, per ESPN, possess “strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost.”
Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and has devoted his life to raising awareness about the disease and helping others battling it since that diagnosis. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2019 for his efforts and has worked to make life-sustaining communication devices more available to others in his position.
Jim Valvano, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Pat Tillman, and Bill Russell are among other recipients of the award.
The Saints announced the signings of cornerback Mac McCain and safety Roderic Teamer on Thursday.
The move with Teamer was reported earlier in the day before he officially signed his one-year deal.
McCain entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2021, signing with the Broncos out of North Carolina A&T. In his rookie season, he played two games with the Eagles and totaled two tackles and one special teams stop in the regular-season finale against the Cowboys.
In 2022, McCain spent 17 weeks of the regular season and the entire postseason on the Eagles’ practice squad. He went to training camp with the Panthers in 2023.
The Saints waived defensive end Nathan Latu in a corresponding move.
Latu signed with the team after going undrafted this spring. He played two seasons at Oklahoma State, and in 14 games last season, Latu totaled 31 tackles and three sacks.
In 2022, Latu played 10 games, and he recorded 14 tackles and four sacks.
The Saints are bringing in a New Orleans native.
Per multiple reports, safety Roderic Teamer is signing with the club on a one-year deal.
Teamer, 27, participated in New Orleans’ minicamp on a tryout basis.
He was previously with the Raiders until he was cut after being arrested for DUI in November of last season.
Teamer entered the league with the Chargers in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane. He appeared in seven games with six starts as a rookie with Los Angeles, but was waived in August 2020 after being served with a suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on substance abuse.
While Teamer then spent some time in the 2021 offseason with the Colts, he signed with the Raiders in June of that year and appeared in 10 games for the franchise that season. He played all 17 games for Las Vegas in 2022, mostly on special teams.
Teamer could still face discipline from the league for his 2023 DUI arrest.