MIAMI (AP) - Reggie Bush may be bound for the Miami Dolphins.
The team has agreed to a trade for the New Orleans running back pending renegotiation of his contract, a person familiar with the talks said Thursday. The person confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because contract talks with Bush and his agent were ongoing.
It wasn’t known what the Saints would receive in the trade, which was first reported by Foxsports.com.
The former Heisman Trophy winner is due about $11.8 million this season _ the final year of his current contract _ and it would be difficult for the Saints to justify paying that for him given salary cap constraints.
The Dolphins seek a running back to pair with second-round draft choice Daniel Thomas. Last year’s leading rushers, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, are free agents.
While Bush has been paid handsomely since signing his six-year rookie contract worth up to $62 million, his pro career has never reached the heights he and many fans expected when he was selected second overall in the 2006 draft.
Bush has had his share of highlight-reel touchdowns on punt returns, receptions and runs, but has never been to a Pro Bowl or even rushed for as much as 600 yards in a season.
Last season he missed eight games, and during the other eight games was used as a role player, with only 36 carries for 150 yards and just 34 receptions for 208 yards.
But the Dolphins want to get faster on offense, and Bush would upgrade a team that ranked third-worst in the NFL in scoring last year. Miami’s first training camp practice will be Friday.
This would mark the second time the Saints have traded a former Heisman Trophy-winning running back they drafted in the first round to Miami. New Orleans sent Ricky Williams to the Dolphins in 2002.
The Heisman Trust no longer recognizes Bush as the winner of its award. Bush relinquished his title to it in 2010 after an NCAA investigation concluded the former Southern California star and his family accepted improper benefits from would-be sports agents while Bush was still playing for USC.
The same probe led the Bowl Championship Series to vacate the Trojans’ 2004 BCS national title.
Soon after the Saints made a trade for a second first-round pick in April’s NFL to take Alabama Heisman winner Mark Ingram, Bush wrote: “It’s been fun New Orleans,” on his Twitter site. Bush later said he regretted that comment and hoped to find a way to stay with New Orleans.
Saints coach Sean Payton had consistently said there remained a place in his wide-open offense for Bush. But after a salary cap of around $120 million was included in Monday’s labor agreement that ended the lockout, it became apparent New Orleans would have trouble paying Bush what he wanted while addressing other needs.
Before the lockout, the Saints re-signed running back Pierre Thomas to a four-year, $12 million extension. New Orleans also is high on Chris Ivory, who made the squad as an undrafted rookie last season. He filled in while both Bush and Thomas were hurt, and wound up leading the club in yards rushing with 716 yards and TDs rushing with five. It all made for a crowded backfield.
In his five-year pro career, Bush has rushed 524 times for 2,090 yards _ an average of 4.0 yards per carry _ and 17 touchdowns. He also has 294 receptions for 2,142 yards and 12 TDs. He also has four career TDs on punt returns.
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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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