Oakland Raiders: Is Re-Signing Michael Bush Long Term a Bad Idea?

Michael Bush was the last restricted free agent to sign his tender ($2.6 million) and report to his team's training camp. Now is a good time for him to show considering the Raiders are thin at running back with Darren McFadden, Taiwan Jones and Michael Bennett down with injuries.

Michael Bush was a part of making Oakland the second-ranked rush offense in the NFL last year as he teamed with Darren McFadden. It is nice to have him back to see if they can continue their success together. 

Rumor has it that Bush was waiting for the Raiders to get under the salary cap so he could try to get a long-term deal signed, and Bush will be quite a bit of money long term. Call me crazy, but I'm not sure re-signing him is a good idea.

Why would it be a bad move? The Raiders have had enough casualties from the new salary cap at $120.4 million. They lost Nnamdi Asomugha and Zach Miller because of cap issues. Michael Bush is a good player, don't get me wrong, but the Raiders will have other needs to address than their backup running back.

Jason Campbell is in a contract year and if he leads the Raiders to the success we all wish to see, he will not be cheap to re-sign. Also, the Raiders have some young rising stars in Tyvon Branch, Matt Shaugnessy, Trevor Scott, Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy to name a few. When their contracts expire, the Raiders will need some spare change to keep them around. 

Depending on how much Bush would ask for, the Raiders would have players leaving town for the big contracts they couldn't get in Oakland because the Raiders want two starters at running back instead of solid players at every position.