Reggie Bush Says He Has 'A Lot Left to Prove,' Wants to Play in 2017

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Free-agent running back Reggie Bush, who spent 13 games with the Buffalo Bills last season, said Monday he hopes to return for a 12th NFL season.  

"That's my plan," he said on NFL Network's Up To the Minute Live (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). "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. 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."

Bush, 32, ran for -3 yards on 12 carries last season in limited work with Buffalo. He was the first non-quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger to carry the ball 10 times and wind up with negative yardage for a season.

Bush spent the 2015 season with the San Francisco 49ers and played in five games before suffering a torn meniscus. In total, he's played for five teams over 11 NFL seasons but hasn't topped 300 rushing yards since 2013.

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The former Heisman winner said he's not looking for a major payday, just a chance to get on the field.

I started playing football when I was eight years old, and it's always been a strong passion, and it's always been a passion that's never gonna leave," he said. "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."

Given his recent production and injury history, it's unlikely Bush gets much of a look before training camp—if at all. The market for 30-plus running backs is always pretty barren, let alone ones years removed from being consistently effective.