If the Saints trade Alvin Kamara it effectively ends Drew Brees’ career

The Saints can’t afford to trade an offensive weapon like Alvin Kamara if they want to give Drew Brees one more chance to win a Super Bowl

Drew Brees’ chances of winning one last Super Bowl literally hang in the balance as the Saints consider whether or not to trade Alvin Kamara. Selling high on the talented running back might be a clever value play by New Orleans’ front office, but it would cost Brees a precious opportunity to retire on top of the NFL.

The good news for Brees is that trading Kamara away isn’t the Saints’ preferred option. They want to ink him to a long-term contract extension that will allow him to help the offense transition away from Brees to whoever becomes the team’s next quarterback of the future. The two sides remain several millions of dollars apart in their negotiations, but Kamara signing a new deal is still more likely than New Orleans finding a team willing to satisfy their trade demands of a first-round pick.

With Kamara in two, Brees and the Saints can make another run at Super Bowl glory

With that being said, the stakes are still huge for Brees. He’s still a good NFL quarterback but age has started to take its toll on his arm strength. That makes him more reliant on playmakers like Kamara than ever before.

Brees still throws short passes with tremendous accuracy that allows his receivers to catch balls without breaking their stride. That gives Saints’ skill players numerous opportunities to turn relatively short passes into long gains. Getting the ball out of Brees’ hands quickly is a staple of Sean Payton’s offense.

The presence of a dynamic running back capable of excelling as a runner and pass-catcher is vital for the Saints’ offensive success. Kamara is a good runner, but he’s a difference-maker when he’s running routes out of the backfield. The fact that he’s caught exactly 81 passes in each of his three seasons as a professional illustrates just how consistently excellent he’s been for New Orleans.

Taking Kamara away from Brees in what’s likely going to be his last season at this level of success would be cruel. There’s no other running back on the New Orleans roster capable of giving the veteran quarterback the same combination of sure hands and explosive run after the catch ability that Kamara provides on an every-down basis.

The Saints need to prioritize giving Brees one more chance at Super Bowl glory over flipping Kamara for future assets. This is one instance where going all-in is the right play for New Orleans.