buffalobillsrul2002 wrote:This is a weird situation because not only does Bush need to sign with New Orleans, but Benson needs to sign Bush to A. Get his money off of merchandise sales/keep some hope for the fans B. Have fans keep tickets/stay interested in Saints
If Bush doesn't sign with the Saints, he loses tons of money in endorsements, and probably some draft position too.
This deal will get done.
This is exactly right. Its in both party's interest to sign... but both think they have the other by the balls, and are trying to bleed them for all they're worth. Chances are, they meet in the middle of that.
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The only thing I don't like about this situation is that Bush made a promise to the fans that he wouldn't be a holdout.
He either needed to not make that promise in the first place or honor his promise.
The fans of NO should be the last ones to be jerked around like that.
It is a business deal so to hold out for a while is fine. If he opts out and re-enters the draft somehow, I never root for the guy again even if he comes to "my" team.
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saundman2000 wrote:The only thing I don't like about this situation is that Bush made a promise to the fans that he wouldn't be a holdout.
He either needed to not make that promise in the first place or honor his promise.
The fans of NO should be the last ones to be jerked around like that.
It is a business deal so to hold out for a while is fine. If he opts out and re-enters the draft somehow, I never root for the guy again even if he comes to "my" team.
He NEVER promised that. He said he would do everything he could to be in camp on time, and that he HOPED he wouldn't miss any time.
But Bush also said that he knows the NFL is a business, and as such, he is not going to start working until he starts making money doing it. Would any of us settle for any less? I know I would not be working if I did not get paid to do it.
This holdout could last a week or two, I wouldn't look into it very much, there is a lot to go through to get his kind of contract done. When it's all said and done, Saints fans will be very happy and Bush's reputation won't take any hit at all. He's already done so much for New Orleans.
saundman2000 wrote:The only thing I don't like about this situation is that Bush made a promise to the fans that he wouldn't be a holdout.
He either needed to not make that promise in the first place or honor his promise.
The fans of NO should be the last ones to be jerked around like that.
It is a business deal so to hold out for a while is fine. If he opts out and re-enters the draft somehow, I never root for the guy again even if he comes to "my" team.
He NEVER promised that. He said he would do everything he could to be in camp on time, and that he HOPED he wouldn't miss any time.
He could've been like Hines Ward, and went to camp while his agent worked on the contract. That would've been living up to his promise. By holding out, he is definitely not doing "everything possible" to be in camp on time.
saundman2000 wrote:The only thing I don't like about this situation is that Bush made a promise to the fans that he wouldn't be a holdout.
He either needed to not make that promise in the first place or honor his promise.
The fans of NO should be the last ones to be jerked around like that.
It is a business deal so to hold out for a while is fine. If he opts out and re-enters the draft somehow, I never root for the guy again even if he comes to "my" team.
He NEVER promised that. He said he would do everything he could to be in camp on time, and that he HOPED he wouldn't miss any time.
He could've been like Hines Ward, and went to camp while his agent worked on the contract. That would've been living up to his promise. By holding out, he is definitely not doing "everything possible" to be in camp on time.
Let's be reasonable here. Has a rookie EVER done that? It's a lot different for a guy like Hines who they've seen in camp and in the NFL on their team for years and know what he's capable of regardless of how he looks in camp. For a rookie there's too much that can go wrong and hurt their negotiating leverage. There was talk of this last year with Benson and the general consensus from people in the know is that it's one of the worst business decisions that can be made in football.
Saints RB Bush could be nearing contract accord Jimmy Smith 7/29/2006
JACKSON, MISS. — Now that both sides have had an opportunity to study the numbers in quarterback Vince Young’s contract with the Tennessee Titans, and verified the veracity of earlier reports that Young will receive $25.740 million in guaranteed money, the Saints and tailback Reggie Bush could be nearing contract accord, possibly later Saturday.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Bush’s agent Joel Segal and the Saints front office have seen the contract Young signed in Tennessee and eliminated doubts that Young’s first-year agent, Major Adams, had somehow negotiated a bad deal.
“But it’s as it has been stated,” the source said. “They’re getting there (in the negotiations). It’s a little better. That’s what they were waiting for and now that they’ve seen it, they can go off the two contracts. Now they’ve just got to come in at the right number.”
The Houston Texans signed first draft pick Mario Williams, a defensive end, to a five-year, $54 million deal the night before the NFL draft, including $26.5 million in guaranteed money.
On Thursday, Young, the third player chosen overall, signed a five-year contract that could be worth $58 million, including his guaranteed cash.
That puts Bush, the second pick in the draft, between the $26.5 and $25.740 figures in terms of guaranteed cash.
It’s likely he’ll command something more than $26 million, but, because of the unwritten code of the slotting system, will have to settle for less than Williams’ $26.5.
“I would hope that by Monday or Tuesday, Reggie would be there,” the source said. “The good news for Reggie is that Vince Young’s contract is a good one. That’s more important than anything. With the slotting system the way it is, you’d think this was now a no-brainer.”
Bush, who entered the second day of his holdout by missing both of Saturday’s workouts at Millsaps College, remains in Los Angeles, working out daily and awaiting the outcome of the talks between Segal and Saints senior football administrator Russ Ball.
Segal did not return telephone calls Saturday.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis failed to respond to an e-mail request for comment.
Of the first seven picks in the 2006 draft, only Bush remains unsigned. In all, 10 of the 32 first round draft picks have not yet come to terms.
Bush, Saints could agree to deal very soon Len Pasquarelli 7/29/2006
Although considerable work remains on the deal, a source close to the negotiations between the New Orleans Saints and first-round draft choice Reggie Bush told ESPN.com on Saturday night that the two sides have made "significant progress" in bargaining.
The source said that an agreement in principle could be arrived at fairly quickly, perhaps by Saturday night or Sunday morning, provided the positive momentum created through the day continues.
The two sides were scheduled to continue negotiations by phone well into Saturday night.
"I wouldn't say [an agreement] is imminent," said the source, "but if things keep coming together the way they have today, something could happen sooner rather than later."
It is not known how much impetus was provided by the contract that former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young, the third overall selection in the draft, agreed to this week. Young received $25.74 million in guarantees from the Tennessee Titans, slightly less than the $26.5 million in bonuses that the Houston Texans awarded top overall pick Mario Williams.
Bush was the second player chosen and has missed the first two days of training camp practices.
Before the Thursday discussions, the two sides had discussed framework and concepts, and perhaps even floated some dollar figures. But clearly, the talks have been ramped up the last few days.
Compounding the negotiations for the Saints was the fact that Bush, who has embraced the hurricane-ravaged city of New Orleans and already made several sizeable donations to charities there, has banked $5 million-$7 million in various endorsement contracts negotiated by Mike Ornstein, his marketing agent.
That certainly alleviated the urgency for Bush to sign a contract quickly, since he already has considerable cash flow.
Bush said during the team's rookie minicamp in May that he wanted to be in camp on time and that he had instructed Segal to attempt to accomplish that goal. But only a few days later, Bush clarified his remarks, telling ESPN.com that any contract had to be a sound business decision.
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by The_Dude » Thu Jul 27, 2006 5:05 pm 
