Broncos urged to reunite Sean Payton with 5-time Pro Bowler for 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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It’s been a long offseason for fans of the Denver Broncos who enjoy free agency. The Broncos were the quietest team in the league during the initial free agency period, seemingly intent to rely on internal development.
The team did trade for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, which will certainly help. The Broncos had an elite defense last year, but the offense wasn’t as explosive as they hoped it would be. The offense should be slightly better just by adding Waddle, but it would be nice to add another piece or two.
Luckily, there’s a player who seems to be on the trade block who could greatly help the Broncos’ offense in 2026.
Broncos floated as landing spot for Alvin Kamara
Alvin Kamara has spent his entire NFL career with the New Orleans Saints. However, 2025 was Kamara’s worst season, and the team responded by adding Travis Etienne in free agency.
As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kamara get shopped around. And if the Saints do that, it would be wise to call Sean Payton, his former coach.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay offered the following analysis about Kamara and the Broncos:
Reuniting with Payton and former pupil Alvin Kamara could be the move that finally pushes Denver over the edge. The back had his finest seasons under Payton during their shared tenure with the New Orleans Saints, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kamara rekindled that form if his next NFL act is played under the head coach.
The addition of Kamara would give the Broncos an ideal insurance option for Dobbins and unparalleled receiving threat to round out a three-man platoon that would arguably rate as the NFL’s best.
The Broncos do have J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey, but the team’s ground game averaged a mediocre 118.7 rushing yards per game last year and completely stalled out in the playoffs.
Plus, Dobbins missed all of 2021 and most of 2023 with injuries, so it would be wise to have more depth. As Kay mentioned, Kamara had his best seasons playing under Kamara, so perhaps reuniting with the coach would be the juice he needs.
It likely wouldn’t take much to get Kamara at this point, considering he’s north of 30 and coming off his worst season.
Can Kamara bounce back in 2026?
As I said, 2025 was Kamara’s worst season, but he still finished with 471 rushing yards, 186 receiving yards, and one touchdown. That would be a solid season for other running backs, but Kamara has higher expectations as a five-time Pro Bowler.
Assuming Kamara is healthy, there’s reason to believe he can still be an above-average back. However, in Denver, the pressure wouldn’t all be on him like it usually is in New Orleans. Kamara could thrive in a part-time role like he would presumably have in Denver.
More NFL news:
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- Blockbuster trade proposal gives Lions elite defender
- Packers urged to trade for disgruntled star ahead of 2026 season
- Former Tennessee star could be 49ers’ best UDFA
- Bengals urged to sign future Hall of Famer for offense
