Alvin Kamara Career Stats: Why the Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

Alvin Kamara Career Stats: Why the Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story

If you just glance at the box scores from the last couple of years, you might think Alvin Kamara is slowing down. You see the rushing averages dip. You see the missed games. But honestly, if you actually dive into the Alvin Kamara career stats, you realize we are watching one of the most unique statistical anomalies in NFL history. He isn't just a running back. He's a hybrid that the league still hasn't quite figured out how to categorize, even as he enters the veteran stage of his career.

Kamara just wrapped up his 2025 season with the New Orleans Saints. It was a bit of a grind. He played 11 games, hampered by a stubborn MCL sprain that sidelined him during the home stretch in December and January. He finished the year with 471 rushing yards on 131 carries. Those aren't "prime Kamara" numbers, but here is the thing: he still managed to cross the 600-career reception mark.

Think about that. Only five running backs in the history of this sport have ever done that. We're talking about a list that includes Marshall Faulk and LaDainian Tomlinson. Kamara is the only one to do it while playing his entire career for a single franchise.

Breaking Down the Alvin Kamara Career Stats by the Numbers

To understand where he sits in 2026, you have to look at the sheer volume of production he’s put up since he was drafted out of Tennessee in 2017. He was a third-round pick. People forget that. He wasn't the "sure thing" like Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott. Yet, he’s outlasted almost everyone in his draft class in terms of relevancy.

Rushing Production

For a guy often labeled as a "receiving back," his ground game is surprisingly stout. As of the end of the 2025 season, Kamara has accumulated 7,250 rushing yards. His career average sits at a healthy 4.3 yards per carry. Even in "down" years like 2021 or 2025, where the offensive line struggled and he faced stacked boxes, he found ways to move the chains.

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He's the Saints' all-time leader in rushing yards. He passed Deuce McAllister. He passed Mark Ingram II. That’s a massive legacy in New Orleans.

The Receiving Machine

This is where the Alvin Kamara career stats get truly wild. Most running backs catch passes as a "safety valve." For Kamara, the passing game is the primary weapon.

  • Total Receptions: 606
  • Receiving Yards: 4,948
  • Receiving Touchdowns: 25

In his rookie year, he averaged 10.2 yards per catch. That is wide receiver territory. Even at age 30, he’s still a nightmare for linebackers in space. In 2024, a year many considered "past his prime," he still caught 68 balls for over 500 yards.

Scoring and Red Zone Efficiency

Kamara is a nose-for-the-endzone specialist. We all remember the Christmas Day massacre in 2020 where he tied the NFL record with six rushing touchdowns in a single game against the Vikings. That game alone cemented his place in Canton's archives.

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Currently, he sits at 87 total touchdowns (61 rushing, 25 receiving, and 1 return). He also has this weirdly impressive stat: 7 career two-point conversions. It's a tie for the NFL record. It shows how much coaches trust him when the game is on the line and they only need two yards.

What Most People Get Wrong About His Decline

There’s this narrative that Kamara is "washed" because his 2025 yards per carry was 3.6. It’s a lazy take. Honestly, if you watched the Saints this past season, the offensive scheme under the rotating door of coordinators didn't help.

The 2024 season actually proved he still has the "it" factor. He put up 1,493 yards from scrimmage that year. That made him only the third player since 2000 to record at least 1,100 scrimmage yards in each of his first eight seasons. The other two? Matt Forte and LaDainian Tomlinson. That’s the elite company he keeps.

Injuries have been the real thief. Between the broken hand and cracked ribs in 2024 and the MCL sprain in 2025, he’s been playing at 70% for a long time.

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The Hall of Fame Path

Does he get in? It’s a heated debate in sports bars from Bourbon Street to Bristol. If you look at the Alvin Kamara career stats today, he is 68th all-time in yards from scrimmage. He’s closing in on 13,000 total all-purpose yards.

The lack of a 1,000-yard rushing season is the main argument against him. It's crazy, right? He’s never actually hit 1,000 yards on the ground in a single year. His career high was 950 in 2024. But why does that matter when he’s giving you 500+ yards in the air every year?

The NFL has changed. The "1,000/1,000" club is the new gold standard for versatile backs, and Kamara has lived in that neighborhood his whole career.

Practical Insights for Fans and Analysts

If you are tracking Kamara for fantasy football or just pure NFL scouting, keep these three things in mind for the 2026 season:

  1. Usage over Yardage: Don't obsess over his rushing attempts. His value is tied to his target share. If he’s getting 5+ targets a game, he’s elite.
  2. Health Windows: He’s 30 now. The stats show he usually starts blistering hot in September (like his 3-TD game in Week 2 of 2024) but fades by December.
  3. The "Moore" Factor: With Kellen Moore’s influence on the offense, expect Kamara to be used more in the "slot" role to preserve his legs from constant between-the-tackles pounding.

To really appreciate Alvin Kamara, you have to stop looking at him as a running back who catches passes. He is a playmaker who happens to line up in the backfield. Whether he reaches the Hall of Fame or not, his career stats have already rewritten the blueprint for what a modern NFL "scatback" can actually achieve.

Keep an eye on the official Saints injury reports heading into the 2026 preseason to see how that MCL has healed. If he's 100%, he's likely to climb into the top 50 all-time for scrimmage yards by mid-season.