Bush Agrees to Six-Year Deal

Reggie Bush agreed to a six-year deal with the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night and the Heisman Trophy winner will report to training camp today.

A source with direct knowledge of the negotiations said the deal had been agreed to, but that he couldn’t disclose financial terms.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on its website that the deal could be worth as much as $60 million with about $26 million guaranteed.

Reached by phone, Bush’s agent, Joel Segal, said he wouldn’t comment until a deal had been signed. However, he said he was traveling to Jackson, Miss., today to meet with Bush and the Saints.

Bush, the Saints’ only unsigned player, has missed the team’s first three practices.

The former USC running back was selected second overall, between No. 1 Mario Williams and No. 3 Vince Young.

Williams signed a six-year, $54 million contract with Houston, with $26.5 million guaranteed.

Young agreed to a five-year deal with Tennessee, with an option for a sixth, with $25.7 million guaranteed and an overall value that could reach $58 million with options and roster bonuses.

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Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor began training camp the same way he did last year -- nursing an injury.

Taylor strained his right hamstring during a conditioning drill Thursday and was less than full speed when the team opened camp.

It was hardly the start Taylor wanted, especially after spending all of last season recovering from a serious knee injury.

“I really wanted to come out the first day and give the fans something to ooh and ah about,” said Taylor, who has been plagued by injuries the last four training camps.

Taylor injured his leg muscle while nearing the last of 20 striders, which are 50-yard sprints. He was required to perform the conditioning test because he skipped most of the team’s voluntary, off-season workout program.

Instead of running and lifting weights in Jacksonville, the 30-year-old franchise running back opted to train near his home in South Florida.

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Carolina Panthers All-Pro receiver Steve Smith was carted off the field because of a hamstring injury on the opening day of training camp.

Midway through the afternoon session, Smith pulled up while running a long route down the left sideline. He immediately clutched his left hamstring, took a couple of steps and fell to the ground.

Smith, who led the NFL with 103 receptions for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, sat out the final week of June’s coaching sessions because of hamstring pain.

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Reggie Brown, expected to battle for the Philadelphia Eagles’ No. 1 receiver position this year, injured his hamstring during practice at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.

Brown limped off the field after running one pass route. He spent several minutes stretching and working with a trainer before walking slowly under his own power toward the locker room. The team would not comment on the injury.

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Seattle Seahawks free safety Ken Hamlin, sidelined since sustaining a fractured skull and blood clot near his brain in an altercation outside a Seattle nightclub last October, had been cleared to participate in contact drills today.

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Cornerback Johnathan Joseph of South Carolina agreed to a five-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, putting their top draft pick under contract before their first training camp workout.

The Bengals also agreed to terms with offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth of Louisiana State, their second-round pick.

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Linebacker A.J. Hawk of Ohio State, the fifth overall draft choice, signed a six-year deal with the Green Bay Packers and then participated in his first training camp practice.