Seahawks’ perfect 2026 NFL Draft trade

Seahawks receive: Alvin Kamara

Saints receive: 2026 sixth-round pick

The Saints just made Travis Etienne the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Now, long-time starter Alvin Kamara might be expendable. The pass-catching specialist has had quite the career in New Orleans, but he has officially passed the 30-year-old threshold, and the Saints are clearly ready to replace him. Kamara is even coming off a career-worst year, and one in which he was plagued by injuries. Furthermore, the team recently invested premium draft capital in Kendre Miller.

The Saints have needed to get younger for quite some time now. Now that second-year signal-caller Tyler Shough has established himself as the franchise quarterback, this offseason would be the perfect time to embrace a new era, even one that doesn’t include a franchise legend such as Kamara.

Kamara has hinted that he’d rather retire than leave the city where he has played his entire NFL career, but one would have to assume he still has something left in the tank. If there is a team that could convince Kamara to keep going, it would be the one that just won the championship.

In Seattle, Kamara would serve as Kenneth Walker’s replacement, at least in the short-term. Walker just won Super Bowl MVP honors, but he turned his back on Seattle to join the Kansas City Chiefs. A Super Bowl MVP immediately leaving his team is not only a rarity, but it is a situation that puts the Seahawks in a serious predicament.

Walker long split carries with Zach Charbonnet, but the backup ball carrier tore his ACL in the playoffs and will miss a good chunk of next season, if not all of it. That means free agent addition Emmanuel Wilson will serve as the primary running back next season. Wilson only has two career starts over three seasons and has totaled just 1,083 rushing yards.

It is possible that Wilson will take a step forward in his development, but so far, he hasn’t proven to be more than a rotational ball carrier. Adding another more proven running back option would be smart for the Seahawks. The Seahawks prioritize the rushing attack, so they need someone as reliable as Kamara on the roster, and the team wouldn’t even need to commit to him long-term.

The Tennessee product can run inside or outside the tackles, and he seems to have a monster game at least once a year. His pass-catching ability would even bring a new dimension to Seattle’s offense. Furthermore, Kamara could likely be had for cheap. There isn’t much depth at the running back position in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the Seahawks can certainly walk away from draft day with a new ball carrier to call their own.