Despite two relatively successful years with the Miami Dolphins and a desire to stay with the team, there’s a very good chance Reggie Bush will be playing for someone else next season. Why? Simple. The Dolphins don’t really want him to stay.

Well, that’s not completely true. The Dolphins would like Bush to stay, but only if he takes a contract offer that’s below his market value, which means something that’s lower than $3.5-4 million a season Bush was hoping to get when his contract was over. Bush ran for 986 yards (4.3 per carry) last season, scoring 6 touchdowns. He also caught 35 passes for 292 yards, adding two more scores via the passing game.

Still, Bush’s age (turning 28 in two weeks) and the wear & tear on his body (multiple injuries with the Saints) which has caused him to play only two full seasons in the NFL since coming up from USC in 2006 is a worrying point for the Dolphins, who really like their two younger running backs, Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas.

Miller ran for 250 yards on 51 carries in his rookie campaign, scoring a touchdown. Thomas, entering his third NFL season, ran for 325 yards last season on 91 carries, but the fact that they’re younger and cheaper than Bush isn’t really making the Dolphins sweat over Bush hitting free agency and leaving for another team.

Bush himself is confused by the messages the Dolphins are sending him, but it’s pretty much a matter of money. Bush can get a job somewhere else – the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets could all use a running back like him, although they also might not be too keen to give him the kind of money he wants. If Bush wants to stay with the Miami Dolphins, he’s going to have to take a serious pay cut, which might be a bit too much to swallow for him, even if he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.

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