ExaltedOne
Footballguy
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Lets just hope he puts up fantasy numbers of four players too!Bush says he expects to be paid like a QB
Associated Press
4/27/2006
Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy- winning tailback from the University of Southern California, said he's hoping to be paid like a quarterback if the Houston Texans make him the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
Bush, 21, said he doesn't care that the highest-paid NFL running backs on average make about 31 percent less than the highest-paid quarterbacks.
"The history says quarterbacks get paid more than running backs, but I think it depends on the caliber of the player -- what you're getting, not just what the position is," Bush said Thursday at the NFL's draft media luncheon in New York.
The Texans have said they plan to take either Bush or North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams and are negotiating with the agents for both players. Bush said he doesn't know whether an agreement can be reached between his agent, Joel Segal, and the Texans before the draft starts in two days.
"You can never say it's going good," Bush said. "The other side doesn't want to give out too much money, and you want the most money you can get."
Segal didn't return a telephone message left at his office.
Last year's No. 1 pick, quarterback Alex Smith, signed a six-year contract worth $49.5 million with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2004, quarterback Eli Manning received a six-year, $54 million contract with the New York Giants, a record for a rookie. Quarterback Carson Palmer signed a six-year, $49 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003.
The last running back taken with the NFL's No. 1 draft pick was Ki-Jana Carter, who signed a seven-year contract worth $19.2 million with Cincinnati in 1995. The average salary of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL last season was $8.8 million compared with $6.1 million for running backs.
Bush, who also played receiver and returns kicks and punts, said his versatility warrants money like Smith, Manning and Palmer received.
"Those are all things that I plan to do in the NFL, so you could look at it from the perspective that you're getting four players in one," Bush said.