The Saints and Reggie Bush have publicly said nice things about staying together this offseason, like a divorcing couple that is trying to break the news gently to their kids.
(Although in this case, many of the kids — Saints fans — want a separation.)
The reality is that the two sides know they are likely headed for a break-up and haven’t done a great job concealing it. The latest piece of evidence via Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports is that the Saints let Bush talk to other teams to gauge his value in February.
“Bush and agent Joel Segal were told that a number of teams would be interested in paying him handsomely, or at least more than the Saints have apparently been willing to offer at this point,” Cole writes. “The expectation from Bush, according to the sources, is that he will be playing for another team next season.”
In the meantime, the Saints have drafted Mark Ingram and Bush hasn’t shown at Saints workouts.
So where might Bush end up?
One of Cole’s sources says the the most likely suitors include the Dolphins, Steelers, Seahawks, and Giants. Philadelphia also showed “strong interest” but Bush has reservations about playing behind Lady Gaga.
Miami makes a lot of sense. Pete Carroll is in Seattle, but running back is not one of their bigger team needs. The Giants could fit if Ahmad Bradshaw leaves, but that’s a big if. It’s hard to believe Pittsburgh would spend big money just for third downs.
No matter who shows interest in Bush, we’d be shocked at this point if he worked out a new contract with the Saints.