One of the biggest headaches facing the New Orleans Saints right now is settling on a contract with first-round pick Reggie Bush.

Their biggest worry is whether or not Bush will actually receive more money than No. 1 pick Mario Williams. Remember, the NFL prides itself with a well-known slotting system for first-round draft picks, but a precedent was set last season when the Cleveland Browns paid receiver Braylon Edwards, the third overall choice, quite a bit more than Miami paid running back Ronnie Brown, who was drafted second.

Alex Smith, the first choice, received compensation that could end up paying him $56.1 million in San Francisco. Brown's package was worth about $29.4 million, but the Browns shocked the league by giving Edwards a deal worth $36 million. Any way you slice it, Bush will try to get top dollar.

With a state income tax in Louisiana, Bush has already lost thousands compared to what he would have earned playing in Houston because Texas has no income tax.

Where's Webster?

The Buccaneers seem resigned to losing director of player personnel Rushton Webster to the highest bidder. Early indications were that Webster would join friend Tim Ruskell with the Seattle Seahawks, but the St. Louis Rams also are after Webster to replace GM Charlie Armey. Webster obviously would have more power with the Rams than in Seattle.

The Vikings should have pursued Webster prior to giving their job to the now-fired Fran Foley.

The Saints derby

You always run into some NFL people at the Kentucky Derby and I bumped into Saints owner Tom Benson and his wife, Gayle, on Millionaires Row at Churchill Downs. Being from the Los Angeles-area, I had to ask about all the rumors about the Saints eventually relocating to L.A. in the future.

"Do you have $1.2 billion?" Benson asked. He was smiling, but he wasn't joking about the price.

This is the problem the NFL has with Benson right now. Sure, they are committed to New Orleans for this season, but what if the Saints' fans don't return to sellout the Superdome? What is the future of the NFL in a city that right now doesn't have 200,000 citizens?

Benson's asking price will be too much for any Los Angeles owner wanting to buy the Saints and try to succeed financially in either the Coliseum or Anaheim. The league has had no success in getting Benson to lower his price tag.

Also, it appears that Wayne Weaver is serious about remaining in Jacksonville and few really believe that Ralph Wilson would leave Buffalo for Los Angeles. The Saints make the most sense.

Also, many owners really thought that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't dealing in NFL reality by asking for teams in both the Coliseum and Anaheim.

NFL insiders know that Gov. Schwarzenegger and other California politicians won't help them build the necessary stadiums. That's why the Raiders and Rams left the region 11 years ago. The state and city wouldn't help them, either.

Was it Paris' fault?

Arizona rookie quarterback Matt Leinart has been dating Paris Hilton for six weeks now and, believe me, that news scared a few teams, some thinking that the former USC star had gone too much Hollywood.

Leinart, however, was the choice of Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher and GM Floyd Reese. But Titans owner Bud Adams told his coach and personnel man to draft Texas quarterback Vince Young even though Leinart was rated higher on the final Tennessee draft board. Adams, who moved his team from Houston to Nashville in 1997, wanted Young, his hometown kid.