Reggie Bush hopes to play a 12th NFL season in 2017
As veteran running backs have come off the free-agent market – Adrian Peterson, LeGarrette Blount, Marshawn Lynch – another over-30 back is hoping to be in a uniform this coming season.
Fresh off an statistically sad season for a running back – with 12 carries for minus-3 yards for the Buffalo Bills last season, he became the first ballcarrier in over 60 years to have 10 or more carries and finish with negative yardage – Bush says he wants to come back for more, and doesn’t want his 2016 season to serve as his NFL swan song.
“Going into year 12, I still feel like I have a lot left to prove, a lot left to give this game before I’m done,” he said on NFL Network. “I don’t want to put a number on how many years I have left. I think once you get past year 10, you just gotta take it one year at a time and go from there. I’m still excited, still looking forward to playing football again this season, still staying in shape, still working out. I plan to be somewhere in September.”
While his rushing stats were nothing to write home about, Bush, who turned 32 in March, did score a rushing touchdown and had seven catches for 90 yards in 13 games (no starts) with Buffalo.
Bush says he’s had discussions with teams, though he didn’t specify which had shown interest in signing him.
“I’m going to be patient and make sure I make the right decision for me and for my family,” he said. “I started playing football when I was 8 years old, and it’s always been a strong passion, and it’s always been a passion that’s never gonna leave. For me at this point, I’ve made plenty of money and it’s not about the money for me.
“I want to get a chance to go out there on the football field and just continue to play the sport that I love to play. I’m so passionate about football and I love it, and I’m not ready to hang it up yet. I want to make sure I exhaust everything before I hang it up so I don’t have any regrets once I do hang it up.”
The No. 2 pick out of USC in 2006, Bush’s want to play is understandable; whether a team will make a spot for a 32-year old back who hasn’t made a significant contribution on the field in three years seems like a long shot.
