Saints replace Reggie Bush by signing Darren Sproles

For those Saints fans worried how they might replace Reggie Bush, they just got a better version of a versatile runner, receiver and return man. NFL Network reports the Saints have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with free agent running back Darren Sproles. The deal is reportedly worth $14 million, with $6 million guaranteed.

The definition of a diminutive dasher, Sproles, 28 and just 5-6, 190 pounds, packed big-play punch as a key sparkplug in San Diego's offense. The former Charger will now step into the scatback, third-down type role Bush occupied in New Orleans.

The move reunites Sproles with the man who was the Chargers' quarterback for his rookie season, Drew Brees. Brees will love having Sproles as a Bush-like cog in the passing game, and so will coach Sean Payton.

Sproles brings more explosiveness and quickness to a Saints offense that also is welcoming back slot receiving ace Lance Moore. Payton now won't lose a beat with his backfield depth as Sproles joins Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and rookie first-round pick Mark Ingram.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-07-28/saints-replace-reggie-bush-by-signing-darren-sproles#ixzz1TUXBnGux

Reggie Bush, Haynesworth Are Traded: Burress to Meet With Giants

Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth and running back Reggie Bush were among the players reported to be moving in the third day of National Football League free- agent negotiations.

The New England Patriots acquired Haynesworth from the Washington Redskins in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2013, according to the Washington Post. Bush, who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints after the 2009 season, was traded to the Miami Dolphins after accepting a pay cut, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the talks.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who missed the last two seasons while serving a 20-month prison sentence on a weapons charge, is expected to meet with both the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers this week, ESPN said, citing people with the teams and NFL it didn’t identify.

The NFL and its players ended a 4 1/2-month lockout July 25 with agreement on a 10-year labor accord. Under rules accompanying that deal, teams can negotiate free-agent discussions and trades, with no signings or announcements allowed until tomorrow. They could start signing rookies earlier this week.

Haynesworth, a Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2007 and 2008, was voted the league’s most dominant defensive player by his peers in a 2009 Sports Illustrated poll. Haynesworth joined the Redskins that same year, accepting a seven-year, $100 million dollar offer that made him the highest-paid defensive lineman in the league, according to ESPN.

Clashed With Shanahan

Haynesworth, 30, clashed with Washington coach Mike Shanahan last season, failing to pass his conditioning test at the start of training camp, skipping team workouts and questioning the team’s defensive formations. He was suspended for the final four games of the season for conduct detrimental to the team and had a career-low 13 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks in eight games.

Bush, 26, was drafted second by the Saints in 2006 after winning the Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player during his final season at the University of Southern California. Bush forfeited that trophy in September after the National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled that he was ineligible to play that season due to his involvement with an agent.

Bush, who has scored 29 offensive touchdowns in his five- year career, missed eight games last season with a broken right leg and had career lows in touchdowns, rushing attempts and receptions. When the Saints selected University of Alabama running back Mark Ingram in the first round of April’s draft, Bush said goodbye to the city of New Orleans on his Twitter account.

New Contract

As part of the trade, Bush agreed to a two-year contract worth about $10 million, AP said. He was scheduled to earn $11.3 million this season under his former contract.

Burress flew to New Jersey on July 26 to meet with Giants coach Tom Coughlin, but is unable to meet face-to-face with the team until tomorrow. The 33-year-old wide receiver, who caught the game-winning touchdown in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the Patriots following the 2007 season, will meet with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin following his meeting with the Giants, according to ESPN.

Burress was drafted No. 8 by the Steelers in the 2000 NFL Draft, and played five seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the Giants. In November 2008 he accidently shot himself in the leg at a nightclub in New York, and was sentenced to two years in jail. He was released from prison on June 6 after serving 20 months in jail.

Draft Picks Signed

The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to terms with wide receiver A.J. Green, the team’s first-round draft pick (fourth overall) from the University of Georgia, the team said on its website. The San Francisco 49ers also signed their first-round draft pick (seventh overall), former Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith, the team announced on its Twitter page. The 49ers have now signed all of their 2011 draft picks.

Teams can begin cutting players today from training-camp rosters. The defending American Football Conference-champion Steelers announced in a statement that they released offensive lineman Max Starks and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Starks started two Super Bowls with the franchise and Randle El started 23 games in two stints with the team.

The Philadelphia Eagles reached an agreement with 31-year- old defensive end Jason Babin, a 2010 Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Titans, ESPN reported. The Chicago Bearsagreed to terms with free agent punter Adam Podlesh, 27, who spent his entire four-year career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-28/reggie-bush-haynesworth-are-traded-burress-to-meet-with-giants-steelers.html