“Listen, the Saints know I’m coming home at some point. [If I play again,] I’m going to come home to retire as a Saint. But yeah, man, I’m done. For sure. I’m done.”
Four years ago today, Reggie Bush announced that he would hang up his cleats. The veteran running back went unsigned for the 2017 season and he wasn’t about to start his search all over again for 2018.
“I’m done,” Bush said (via Edward Lewis of NFL.com). “Yeah, I’m done. I said it. It’s not breaking news. I’ve been saying it. I said it all season long, I said, ‘Listen, if I don’t play this year, I’m going to retire.’ Because I’m not going to spend a whole year off, come back, 33 years old, trying to get back in the league. Listen, once you get to a certain age as a running back, they just start to slowly weed you out.”
There wasn’t much interest in Bush following a subpar 2016 campaign with the Bills, when he totaled negative yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. Of course, those struggles didn’t negate Bush’s impressive eleven-year career. While the 2006 second-overall pick and (later forfeited) 2005 Heisman Trophy winner didn’t necessarily live up to the hype, he was still one of the most respected pass-catching backs in the league.
Bush compiled at least 30 receptions and 200 receiving yards during each of his first eight years in the league, including four seasons with at least 50 catches. The offensive weapon was also a dynamic returner, as he finished his career with four punt returns for touchdowns. The USC product spent time with the Saints, Dolphins, Lions, 49ers, and Bills. Even though his pro career didn’t go as planned, he’s widely regarded as one of the top NCAA running backs of all time.
Interestingly, even though Bush said he was done with football in 2017, he did leave the door slightly open for one pro team:
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