Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

He did; he said that he hoped the Saints would not match the offer because he wanted the opportunity to start.

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

You may have not used the correct search terms. Not all of us are school yard tikes spreading Falcon lore.

Roto
Restricted free agent S Rafael Bush would prefer if the Saints didn't match the two-year, $4.5 million offer sheet he received from the Falcons.
New Orleans Saints Team News - Rotoworld.com
Rafael Bush - New Orleans Saints - 2014 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com
There are more sources if you need them.

I never said anything about "willing to pay", obviously he is willing to pay more if he matched it. I said "want to pay", if Loomis wanted to pay Bush that much he would have and not tendered him a RFA.

2.25m/ year for a non starting Safety close to what Vaccaro makes, and puts Rafeal Bush in the top 31 Safetys for average pay, and puts the Saints paying more for Safetys than any other team in the league.
2014 NFL Top Average Salaries - Safety

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

Guido is correct in pointing out the unreliability of an anonymous source. At some point it was said by someone that Bush preferred the Saints not to match; we never heard that from Bush, his agent, or anybody else. All Rotoworld and the like did was latch onto that one comment as if it were gospel but it could have been nothing more than idle speculation from the beginning; or as Guido said someone from the Falcons front office trying to plant some misinformation. That wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

Actually; Bush tweeted it... then deleted the tweets after the Saints matched

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

I've seen his Twitter, never said anything of the sort. The whole thing came from Vargas' "source" that was never named and a million different outlets got a hold of it. Because of the prevalence of all these web sites this stuff always gets distributed out all over the place until people accept it as fact; but one shaky source doesn't mean it's true. I've been a journalist for 15 years, I know how this stuff works.

Now, I would not necessarily be surprised if Bush wanted it that way, nor would I blame him for feeling that way. I'm just saying, that little bit of news got blown out of proportion pretty quickly. Almost like somebody really really really wanted it out there.

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

Neither of those two sources do anything but parrot the article that I referenced with "the source". I know how to search and I have still not been shown an actual quote from Bush. You can't be "vocal" without actually speaking. I have seen actual quotes by Bush saying he was excited about remaining a Saints, however.

The only way Loomis could have signed him would have been to amount no less than a second level tender, which is is $2.2M. No agent in his right mind would settle for less than that knowing he would be able to shop him. Why not take a chance and try to save $800K?

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

I follow Bush on twitter, as I do most all of the Saints players, and check the posts constantly. I never saw anything like that from him. If it was out there someone would have surely copied it and posted it somewhere.

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

To clear it up this was the very first inkling of anything regarding Bush not wanting the Saints to match:

[RVargasAdvocate]
Ramon Antonio Vargas @RVargasAdvocate
3 days ago
Source tells me #saints S Rafael Bush would prefer it if 2-year, $4.5 million offer sheet from Falcons wasn''t matched NFL source: Rafael Bush hoping for shot at starting role with Falcons | Sports | The New Orleans Advocate


Literally EVERY SINGLE reference after that was a rewording or retweet of that original post. Nowhere did Rafael Bush or his agent actually say it. Knowing Vargas' work in the past it seems like a lot of idle speculation; either that or Vargas got the wool pulled over his eyes by somebody with an agenda.

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

Here is the original Vargas article, which if you ask me is a bunch of garbage and an example of terrible journalism. You have to be able to sort through the BS.

NFL source: Rafael Bush hoping for shot at starting role with Falcons | Sports | The New Orleans Advocate

According to the source, in Atlanta, Bush is being offered a chance to be a starting safety alongside William Moore, a friend. The Falcons’ release in February of safety Thomas DeCoud, a starter since 2009, created the opportunity.

“Atlanta is a better situation for Rafael Bush to have a starting role in the defense,” the source said. “It is a better situation for his career and for his family,” especially financially.

I'm just saying. If I turned in a story this shaky, I would get sent home for the day.

Re: Rumor: We matched offer for Bush
 

I would have actually said something to the contrary if a story leaked that I wish my previous employer wouldn't retain me and it wasn't accurate. Bush is fairly vocal on his twitter and he know that statement was out there.

I do understand though... Obviously if a person doesn't say something on Twitter or video feed it couldn't have happened. #internetzrulez

I do get your point though Jack, Vargas's article is more of a someone else's opinion article than a story.