The race for Reggie Bush is heating up. After proving his worth during his time as a Miami Dolphin, the free agent running back now has his pick of teams. With his departure from Miami all but certain, the only question remains is how quickly he signs on with another team and who will win the bidding war. The Detroit Lions are in need of a running back that can play an entire season and the team is hopping that they land Bush before another team gets ahold of him.
The Lions thought they had a franchise running back when they drafted Jahvid Best, but concussion problems have prevented him from playing football for the last 17 months. With his career likely finished, the Lions need to find a replacement to balance out the offense. Detroit wants a big name back that will be aggressive on the ground and also be a significant passing threat.
Reggie Bush is coming off of the two most productive rushing seasons of his career. He recorded 986 rushing yards last season and 1,086 in 2011 while in Miami. He has also caught over 50 passes in his first three years in the NFL. NFL analyst Heath Evans believes that Bush will likely only consider teams that are close to winning a championship and will allow him to be creative in their offensive scheme. With Calvin Johnson in the prime of his career and quarterback Matthew Staford leading the Lions' offense, Bush could be the last factor the team needs to contend for a Super Bowl.
Bush is likely to command somewhere around $5 million a year in salary. Injuries during his time in New Orleans have cost him money over the years and teams are less likely to give more money to running backs. Bush has won a Super Bowl and knows what it takes to compete for one; Detroit would be smart to swoop him up before another team does.
The Arizona Cardinals are the other team in the bidding war for Bush. The Cardinals just released injury-plagued running back Beanie Wells are in need of a back that can take the pressure off of quarterback Kevin Kolb. With free agency only a few hours away, Bush will likely be taken off the market quickly.