Saints’ Alvin Kamara Joins Elite NFL Company (and Is the Answer to a Crazy Trivia Question)

In the Saints’ 34-27 win over the Giants, Alvin Kamara became the sixth player in NFL history to reach 5,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards. That‘'’s not his only unique record.

by Craig Ellenport

Oct 18, 2026

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When Alvin Kamara took a short pass from Tyler Shough and raced 31 yards for a touchdown, it gave the New Orleans Saints a 17-10 lead over the New York Giants — a lead they would not relinquish in a 34-27 victory. The play also gave Kamara a special place in NFL history.

The reception put Kamara over 5,000 career receiving yards, making him just the sixth player in NFL history with 5,000-plus rushing yards and 5,000-plus receiving yards. To say he’s in elite company is putting it mildly. The other five players to accomplish this feat: Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore, future Hall of Famer Christian McCaffrey and Hall of Fame semifinalist Tiki Barber.

The 31-year-old Kamara is in his 10^th NFL season, all with the Saints. The five-time Pro Bowler is no longer the dangerous all-purpose weapon he once was. A player who once scored a record-tying six rushing touchdowns in one game, Kamara’s TD reception Sunday was just his third score this season. His 69 scrimmage yards against the Giants (34 rushing, 35 receiving) were the most he’s had in a game this season.

In addition to joining the 5K/5K club and sharing the single-game rushing touchdown record with Hall of Famer Ernie Nevers, Kamara also happens to be the all-time leader in a very unusual category.

Kamara’s career-best rushing season came in 2024, when he rushed for 950 yards. He’s rushed for at least 883 yards in a season five times — but he’s never hit 1,000 yards in a season.

With 7,370 career rushing yards, he’s got more all-time rushing yards than any player who has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season.

As the chart shows, it’s another list in which Kamara is keeping impressive company. The top 10 includes three Hall of Famers — Hugh McElhenny, Lenny Moore and Marion Motley — and two of the best rushing quarterbacks in Cam Newton and Russell Wilson.

Kamara is more than 1,000 yards better than the second-leading all-time rusher on this list, and he’s the only active player in the top 10.

Only 14 players in NFL history have more than 5,000 rushing yards without a 1,000-yard season. The player who is about to become the 15^th will have a chance to challenge Kamara’s mark.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen entered Week 6 with 4,960 career rushing yards. Allen came into 2026 averaging 590 rushing yards per season. If he maintains that pace, he’d catch Kamara in four or five seasons.