Will Reggie Bush be Back With the New Orleans Saints in 2011?

Shortly after the New Orleans Saints traded a future first round draft pick to the New England Patriots for the opportunity to draft former Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram back in April, another former Heisman trophy winner in Reggie Bush declared his goodbyes to the team over his Twitter page.

Now, after some time to think about it, it appears as though Bush’s best option might be to return to New Orleans to play for the Saints and continue to be part of one of the most electric offensive attacks in the NFL. Bush has not been a premiere back like you would expect from the 2nd overall pick in the draft, but he’s shown why he was such a valuable selection, making impacts in all three phases of the game.

Despite the fact that he has not played a full season since his rookie year in 2006, Bush has ran for over 2,000 yards in his five year career, caught 294 passes for 2,142 yards, and has amassed 33 touchdowns over that time-frame. Again, his numbers don’t reflect those of what you would expect from a top five selection, but the impact that Bush has had on the Saints cannot be denied, and it would be wise to bring him back.

However, Bush will not be coming back at his $12 million dollar base salary, and he is scheduled to make about $16 million next year in all. That is not going to fly since he is probably going to be the second or third option in the Saints’ running game. Bush noted to the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he wanted to return to New Orleans on a re-structured deal:

“I think our No. 1 priority is to stay with the Saints, restructure a deal where both sides are happy. It’s just about getting this lockout out of the way so we can do that.”

ESPN’s Pat Yasinkas thinks that Bush will be returning to New Orleans on new terms as well:

“You can’t get much firmer than that and it sounds like Bush, who threw out some early Twitter bombs after the team drafted Mark Ingram, has cooled down and seems to be playing nice with the Saints as we head for what could be the end of the lockout. Once it does, look for Bush and the Saints to work out a contract extension to help spread some money around and make the deal friendly under the salary cap.

So, when the lockout ends and teams are allowed to negotiate with their own players in about 9 days, look for Bush to re-up with the Saints for less money or be cut outright.